Bulletin

REMINDERS AND UPCOMING EVENTS:

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 Saturday 25 May:  12:30pm-3:00pm: 135 Anniversary Boarding Lunch.

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Monday 27 May 3.30pm-7.00pm:  Year 10 into Years 11-12 2020/2021 - Subject Selection Information Evening (please see the reminder email sent today to Year 10/2019 parents and students).

9.00am  Monday 20 May:  Bookings open online for Year 10 Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews. 
Midnight Sunday 02 June:  Bookings close for Year 10 Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews.

Monday 03 June 3.30pm-7.30pm:  Year 10 2019 Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews (see Mrs Mano's letter emailed to Year 10 parents 16 May).

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Thursday 30 May:  College Inter-House Athletics Carnival - E S Marks Field, Anzac Parade, Kensington (see information email to parents/carers from Mr Hekeik on Tuesday 21 May 4.45pm).

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INFORMATION:

Rockwall Crescent Gate:  Since Monday 13 May the College's entrance driveway at Rockwall Crescent is being completed, therefore, the pedestrian entrance cannot be used during the construction period.  

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SVC Uniform Shop - Orders Now Online  

Monday     8.00am-2.00pm  /  Wednesday   12.00pm-5.00pm  /  Friday   8.00am-2.00pm           

Phone:  02 9161 7979  Email:  SVC@noone.com.au  

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Dear Parents and Carers

On Sunday Australia will commemorate Sorry Day.  26 May is set aside as the day we stop to remember the indignities and injustices that Indigenous Australians have and continue to experience as a result of government policy and attitudes.  The College observed this commemoration today.  It was with strength and vulnerability that two of our current students Clare Lienesch (Year 10) and Krista-Jean Clarke (Year 12) and a former student Jola Cumming (class of 2013), gave personal account of their families struggle to regain voice and self-determination. 

Please reflect on these beautiful testimonies from Clare and Krista-Jean:

Good morning. My name is Clare. I am a proud Barkindji woman from Bourke. I’m from Gurnu Paakantyi country. Paaka means river, and ntyi means we belong to. 'We are the River People'. Gurnu language and country extends from a little past Bourke to Menindee. Aboriginal people have occupied this country for over 40,000 years. The heart of Paakantyi country is Wilcannia. Paakantyi people live in Bourke, Wilcannia, Menindee, Broken Hill, Wentworth and Dareton. However, many of our mob have moved outside of country for many reasons: higher education, employment and kinship. There would be thousands of people who identify as Paakantyi up and down the river and in metropolitan areas.  I was born and raised in Bourke, a 9 and 1/2 hour drive north west from Sydney.  Bourke is home of the Ngemba people. Bourke is a large Aboriginal populated community. Growing up I was always interested and wanted to know more about my Aboriginal heritage and culture. As a child I didn’t have the opportunity to learn from my Elders. I would have loved to learn from their cultural knowledge. In primary school there was no gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, we all got along with each other no matter the colour of our skin, we could all be together and there was never anything wrong with that, on the streets, at school and basically whenever and wherever.  

It was all so normal back then, I was never questioned about my Aboriginality or who my mob were. Until I came to the bigger world, the real world. When you tell someone you are Aboriginal, you get questioned. Constantly having to justify your identity, and the denial of my Aboriginality. What does Aboriginality look like? How many other ethnic groups get asked “what percentage Aboriginal are you?" I honestly couldn’t think of one. People say “Oh but you don’t look Aboriginal” or the one I dislike the most, “But you’ve got white skin”. Being Aboriginal is a bit like tea, it does not matter how much milk you put in it is still tea.  Yes I have lighter coloured skin, does that make me any less Aboriginal? No, not at all. Being Aboriginal is not about what colour your skin you have, your shape, size, or who you are. Aboriginality is your family, belonging and is inside you. Growing up my Mum always told me when someone asks what percent Aboriginal are you, you don’t give them a percent, and you tell them “I am Aboriginal”. No percentage or number comes with being Aboriginal, its either you are Aboriginal or you are not, there’s no in between.  

My Great-Grandmother, an Aboriginal woman married to a white man. She and her family lived in Tibooburra in north western NSW. Aboriginal people in the Tibooburra area were forcibly removed from their homes. They were transported to a locked mission in Brewarrina 550km away. Her sister, my Great-Aunty, was married to an Aboriginal man. She and her family were forced to the mission in Brewarrina. My Great-Grandmother never saw her sister or her family again.  It still hurts, it hurts because my family were taken away, and it has had a ripple effect on my family.  We are now unable to learn about our family history because our family was torn apart. Government policy took my family away and with it they took part of my culture, my identity, my knowledge, my heritage. They took away things that belong to me.  On Sorry Day, I always take time to reflect on this so that together we can move forward.
Clare Lienesch

Hi, my name is Krista Clarke, I am a proud Ngunnawal woman.  I come from a small town an hour outside of Canberra, Yass, was where I had grown up. I had learnt many things about my culture and the history it held. One thing that will never be forgotten within my childhood is when the Australian government held their nation sorry day speech. It was a day of solitude for our people. Held every year on 26 May to acknowledge and recognise the stolen generations. Our brothers and sisters that were striped from their family, culture and land, to return years later or never at all.  Today there are more than 17,000 surviving Indigenous Australians who were removed from their families. My aunty has always said “I was strong enough to survive but many of us, never survived to talk about it”.  Sorry day to us is much more than the commemoration of our nation saying sorry, it is a day of mourning.  The stolen generation is something that will always remain a dark part of our history. There comes the question of why we don’t just get over it. We as young aboriginal women have seen our grandmothers, grandfathers, great-grandmothers, great-grandfathers, uncles and aunts suffer from the agony that the stolen generation brings.

There are many stories alike from survivors of the stolen generation. This story I feel honoured to share. Roslyn Brown, was taken in 1970 at the age of 12, forcibly removed from her home. She grew up on Tumut Plains, 25 kms outside of town. It was her home. She was transferred to Parramatta Girls Training School five hours away. While under the care of Parramatta Girls Training School, like many of the aboriginal girls she was sexually abused and exploited; this is only the beginning of their stories. In 1974, four years later at the age of 16 she was one fortunate one to finally return home, but the pain and the trauma will be carried with her forever. Now 61, successful, proud, an advocate for aboriginal people and my aunty. A woman that raised me to never be ashamed of myself or my culture, it is who I am and will always be.  We as aboriginal people have seen and been a part of the vicious cycle that our people have been trapped in for years. Drugs, alcohol and violence. Our history is not perfect, in fact it’s far from it. But we as a nation have come a long way, although we still have a long way to go. Sorry Day is a day of remembrance, but it can also be seen as a day we all stand together in solidarity for a better future for our people and for our nation, and that’s why Sorry Day is so important to me.
Krista-Jean Clarke

Please join in prayer used at the commemoration this morning.

Spirit of Biyami , we speak for our country.  
Help us to keep it a place of pristine majesty.
where the land is sacred, not degraded.
Help us to treasure the animals of our land,  
and give all people opportunities to grow, to be all they can be.  
The Spirit brings peace.

Spirit of Biyami, we speak for the leaders of our nation,
the women who show us the way to justice.
We speak to the elders of knowledge;
the women who know the way, a better way.
We speak to the leaders of our school;
the women who guide us to be stronger, courageous women of action.  
Empower them in their work.
Guide their decisions
so that they may create a place of peace and justice
for generations to come.
The Spirit brings peace.

Biyami, we speak to all women who have fought for justice.
We remember those who risked their own safety and security
to create a place of safety and security for others.
We remember those who refused to be limited by sexism,
racism and injustice,
and who continue to work to close the gap
between black and white Australians.
The Spirit brings peace.

Biyami, we speak for the Indigenous people of this land.  
Guide them as they strive to preserve their culture.
Encourage them as they pass that culture on to new generations.  
Walk with them as they live the beauty of the dreaming
and share it with all Australians.
The Spirit brings peace.

Biyami, we speak to all Australians.  
Help us to listen to the stories of others
so that we can know and understand them.
It is out of knowing and understanding
that we can love them.  
Help us always to move towards reconciliation and healing.
The Spirit brings peace.

Yours sincerely

Mrs Anne Fry
Principal

The College community offers its condolences to the following who has lost a loved one recently:

Portia Love (Year 11)  Father.

National Reconciliation Week

Today we launched National Reconciliation Week with our annual Sorry Day commemoration, a collaborative work between the First Nations students of SVC, the SCEGGS Boarders, Aunty Viv, Mr Robert Weaver, Mrs Jo Kenderes, Ms Maryanne O’Donoghue and myself.  Sorry Day is an important day in our civic calendar and at the College our commemoration, as shared by Mrs Fry in her article, is profound, reflective and hope-filled.  Our commemoration always ends with the First Nations students sharing ochre with the community as a sign of solidarity and connection, a hope-filled mark that we will work in partnership to right the wrongs of the past and build a future that is strong.

I asked the students to go home and share with their families and friends what they experienced today at the Sorry Day commemoration.  I encouraged them to find out what Reconciliation means for them and our broader community.  As Mr Weaver started playing the Youthu Yindi song Treaty from 1991, I asked the students to think about why Treaty is important and what we could do to make it more than a song that we sing from the past.  Perhaps you could spend some time with your family exploring the many resources and stories for National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC week.

In Year 9 Religious Studies this term, we have been studying Sacraments of Healing and students are researching moments of healing that have occurred around the world from the:  Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa; Waitangi Treaty; Rwanda Genocide and Stolen Generation.  Today, after our Sorry Day commemoration, a student in Year 9 asked me how many First Nations students have graduated from the College since the The Apology.  I can proudly say that number is 38.  These young women, including Jola Cumming who spoke today from the graduating class of 2013, are the future leaders and collaborators of a strong and connected Australian community.  I am proud to walk with and work with these women and their families.  My hope is that you too will join us on this journey of Reconciliation and Recognition.

Ms Rachel McLean
Director of Faith and Mission

Environment Committee

Today we would like to share with you an experience the Environment Committee members shared at Assembly last week.  It is a profound reminder that we all have an obligation to contribute to eliminating the climate crisis we now face.  In two weeks time, the students will host a series of activities at lunch time to celebrate World Environment Day and encourage students to ‘buy into’ actions that make a difference.  This will be followed up with our annual Environment and Refugee awareness week during the last week of term.  On the last day of term, students are invited to wear extra warm clothes to show how rugging up is better than burning fuels to keep warm.  More information about Week 9 will be shared soon.

Assembly experience shared by Marnie Gomes, Charlotte Murray-Nobbs, Pippi Cullinan

Could every student please take off your cardigan, vest, blazer or overcoat.  I know it’s winter but the temperature is rising by two degrees celsius by the end of this century, you are no longer going to need these things.

Could every student sitting inside an island please stand up.  The sea levels are rising by nearly 50cm by 2050 and 120cm by 2100, your islands have been flooded and you are going to have to find a new home. (thank you, you can sit down now)

Could everyone who has eaten seafood in the last month raise your hand.  Every year, 5 million to 14 million tonnes of plastic flow into the oceans from coastal areas.  I’m going to have to ask you to stop eating seafood if you want to stop eating plastic as well.

If anyone here drives a car or whose family drives a car raise your hand.  You’re going to have to find some other means of transportation, because oil is going to run out in the next 55 years.

Put your hands on your head if you have used a plastic water bottle in the past year.  Well if your great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather had used a plastic water bottle, it would still be here today - and that’s in the 1500's - 16 generations ago.

If you don’t want to live in this kind of world, it is going to take a lot of work.  You can help Vinnies' become more sustainable and environmentally friendly by joining environment committee on every Day 8 in A4.25.  We will be discussing issues such as compost, recycling, plastic use in the College and air conditioner usage.

We have been talking for around two minutes by now.  In that time, 200 acres of rainforest have been cut down.

By the Environment Committee

National Boarding Week is always a highlight in our calendar as it celebrates all things Boarding.  Our week started with handing out pink ribbons to all St Vincent’s students on their way in to school.  The photo at recess spelling 135 to celebrate the 135^th Anniversary of Boarding at St Vincent’s College was well represented by all students.  Thank you to all students for your participation in this.  At our College Assembly on Wednesday, two of our more local boarders - Matilda Roddy and Gabbie Wilson - MC’d the question and answer session with fellow boarders.  It is important for all students to know where each person comes from and in the Boarders' case, what they are leaving behind to come to St Vincent's.  It wouldn’t be a Boarding event without a sausage sizzle.  A huge thank you to Mr Bob Anderson, Mr Robert Graham, Ms Linda McCabe and Mr Ken Devlin, for their help in the safety of the students, and to Melissa, Tamarla and Abby for their amazing cooking ability.  We raised $466 to donate to St Canice’s.  Amazing - thank you.

Mrs Fry and I attended the Dubbo Boarding Expo on Friday and Saturday and it was lovely to catch up with most of our families from the area.  Thank you to the parents and ex-students who stood with us on the stall and shared in telling stories about the Vinnies' spirit.  It is always a privilege to be able to speak so highly of Boarding and the Boarding community at these events.

Today, Friday 24 May, the College commemorated Sorry Day.  I am very proud of our Indigenous Boarders' from both St Vincent’s College and SCEGGS, who shared their stories with the College and we were privileged to listen to them.

Yours in Boarding

Ms Maryanne O'Donoghue
Director of Boarding

The LRC has hosted the 2019 Edible Book Festival.  This year we had a record amount of entries from students in Year 7 up to Year 12.  Voting opened at 10.15am that day for nominations for favourite cake, and a record number of (several hundred) votes received.  Here are the results:  

Most popular cakes:  

1st place         Winnie the Pooh – Hannah Singh, Year 7

2nd place        Alice in Wonderland – Iyla Maguire, Year 7

3rd place         Paddington Bear – Sidney-Morgan Mulholland, Year 12.   

The LRC would like to acknowledge the hard work and creativity of all our entrants.  Many of the cakes had bids by staff to purchase and the remaining were sliced up for sale at lunchtime. 

We raised a record amount of $531.80 which goes directly to the SVC Social Justice Fund.  We would like to mention two of our Year 12 dedicated bakers Ilaria Marsella and Sidney-Morgan Mulholland, both in Year 12 - these girls have entered for many years, leading the way in effort and design and we will miss your entries next year! 

We hope you enjoy seeing the fruits of our bakers efforts.  

The LRC Staff

The English Department has celebrated the opening of the Heritage Centre by taking our Year 11 Standard classes to review the interactive elements of the displays. 

In Term 2, Year 11 Standard have been studying a unit called Contemporary Possibilities in which students have been developing a vocabulary to appreciate, describe, analyse and evaluate the ways in which digital texts tell stories.  Students presented screencasts in which they argued for the relevance and value of a variety of interactive digital texts such as interactive documentaries, digital graphic novels and games. 

At the conclusion of our unit, students visited the Heritage Centre to examine the way in which the display uses interactive technologies to tell the stories of real people and their real experiences from the Sisters’ real social justice work. 

This year’s students were confident enough to prepare worksheets for use by students next year!  So, be prepared Year 10! 

Thank you to Ms Playoust and Ms Rune for taking their students to the Heritage Centre. 

Ms Monica Jarman
Head of English Department

Need assistance with a research project?  Want to know where to find a replica of the Wolsey Closet from Hampton Court in Sydney?  Want to know what treasures lie underneath Macquarie Street?  Then ask the Year 12 English Extension 1 class!

On Friday 17 May, the students took a sunny stroll across The Domain to the State Library to learn how to make the most of the Library’s resources, particularly their online catalogues.  These secondary materials are used to support the sophistication of their arguments about the texts studied in class.

We also visited the Shakespeare Room, which has a replica of the ceiling from Hampton Court, as well as a facsimile of one of Shakespeare’s Folios.  The Library holds several of these very rare books.  We were also taken down into the stacks - several storeys of book and artifact storage underground.

Many thanks to Ms Sue Thomas who accompanied the class.

A few of these same students travelled to Newington College on Sunday 19 March to attend lectures about their English studies.  The students who attended were Eve Cogan, Emma Collins, Amelia Kamp, Millie Lembke and Mia Rosos.  The presenters were very generous with their expertise and helped to clarify thinking about the course and its concepts - and the requirements of the final examination!

Ms Monica Jarman
Head of English

University of Notre Dame

Early Offer Student Parent Information Evening

This evening is for Year 11 and 12 students and their parents who are interested in learning more about the Early Offer program offered at the University of Notre Dame (UND). This event will take place on July 2 at UND’s Broadway campus.  Places are limited to find out more you can Register here    

A Day in the Life of a Nursing Student

10 July - 10.00am -2.00pm (School Holidays), Darlinghurst campus.

This immersive nursing experience provides students with the opportunity to attend a nursing lecture and engage in clinical activities.  Students will also meet the Dean and other academic staff, connect with like-minded students and discover first hand why Notre Dame’s Nursing School is number 1 in Australia for Skills Development (QILT).  For more information please  click here ›

ACU Strathfield Mid Year Open Evening

On  27 May 2019, 4.00pm-6.00pm, at 25A Barker Road, Strathfield.  ACU is hosting their learn about courses and entry pathways, tour the campus and speak to academic staff and current students.  Contact:  Future Study Sydney:  Futurestudy.Syd@acu.edu.auto register if interested.

ACU Strathfield Parent Information Sessions

The ACU Parent Information Session will be held on 27 May 2019 from 6.00pm-7.30pm (straight after the mid year Open Evening) at Gleeson Auditorium, 25A Barker Road, Strathfield.  Parents, guardians and carers play a vital role in supporting their teenager’s transition to university.  To hear about the opportunities available to future students, attend the information session and learn more about ACU.  The event will include:

canapes and drinks on arrival

tips to prepare for university

panel discussion offering insights and advice on how to best support students

tips for choosing a career and preparing for university and a part-time job

Tertiary Admission Centre (TAC) representatives.

information on scholarships, fees, support services, entry programs and upcoming ACU events.  Please contact Future Study Sydney: Futurestudy.Syd@acu.edu.auto register.

The University of Sydney - Faculty of Engineering and IT Years 11 and 12 Information Evening

On Wednesday 5 June 2019 from 6.00pm-8.00pm at Sydney's Eastern Avenue Auditorium, Camperdown campus an information session is scheduled for students interested to hear from and meet heads of school, faculty staff, current students and industry speakers.  Attendees will learn about degree offerings, scholarships possibilities, entry requirements and the embedded industry immersion/placement program.  This event is suitable for parents and students and registration is essential at

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/engineering-and-information-technologies-year-11-12-information-evening-tickets-59096859297

NIDA - Open Day

On 15 June 2019 at 9:00am at the National Institute of Dramatic Art Kensington, are inviting interested students to NIDA.  There will be backstage tours, alumni and course talks, free shows, NIDA open classes and more.  See what makes NIDA one of the top ten drama schools in the world (2018 Hollywood Reporter ranking).  Contact:  Natalie Freeman:  02 9697 7600 or email  info@nida.edu.au to register.

Ms HELEN MARSHALL
CAREERS ADVISER

Year 11 Drama Play is an option I give students to learn about the Elements of Production in Drama.  Students decide as a class if they wish to study these elements through activities and exercises or experientially by attempting to put on a play.  Students voted to stage a play and pitched their ideas to the class, the pitch voted in was The Staffroom: The Musical.  This has been written by Year 11 Drama students and now is being directed and produced by this class.  Creating set ideas, costume ideas, sound and lighting and then having to actualise them is a challenge, let alone act as well.  The promotions and publicity team is off to a great start with teasers and a great poster - see it here in The Bulletin.  I hope you can come and support them for this fun and fabulous play - with some pretty fabulous musical numbers thrown in for free.

Theatresports Update - A win in the heats and off to the finals!!

Our intermediate Theatresports team has had an exciting time this year already.  In the competition heats this week they got through to the finals!! They came third out of ten schools!  This is an incredible achievement and we wish these students the best of luck in the upcoming finals.

Lilas-Mae Njoo, Cleo Heywood, Ella Humphreys.

Speech and Drama Update - Many wins at the Inner West Eisteddfod.

On the weekend Speech and Drama students competed in a variety of sections and were extremely successful this year! Congratulations to:

-  Molly Barwick:  First in Monologue

-  Sophie Anderson and Lucy Brader:  First in Duologue

-  Ella Humphreys:  Third in Monologue

-  Ruby Cullinan and Freya McGrath:  Third in Duologue

-  Highly Commended:  Sophie Anderson and Ruby Cullinan (Monologue), Molly Barwick and Ella Humphreys (Prose).

Speech and Drama students also have attempted various grades of the Trinity College London Speech and Drama and Acting examinations this week with the external examiner from England.  I look forward to hearing about what I believe will be great results, if their rehearsal work is anything to go by. 

Ms Catherine Johnson
Head of Performing Arts

Health Centre - The Pastoral Team

As winter approaches, Nurse Fiona is available in the Health Centre if any student is feeling unwell.  A reminder to all of our students if they feel unwell, to sign out of class with their diary and go (accompanied if need be) to the Health Centre.  The nurse will then assess the student and ascertain whether she is well enough to go back to lessons or a parent/carer is to be called to pick up their daughter.  It is a Duty of Care that students are not allowed to go home without a parent/carer picking her up.

No student is to contact her parent/carer directly.  The College is required to keep accurate records of student movements for NESA.

Medical Appointments - Student Services

A reminder to please ensure that medical appointments are made outside of school hours as much as possible.  Classroom time is so important for learning.  When it is absolutely essential that an appointment needs to be made during the school day, please ensure that an email is sent to collegesecretary@stvincents.nsw.edu.au by 8.30am that morning or call the Student Services Direct Absentee Number 8324 6630. 

A note can also be handed into student services that day and a parent/carer clearly stating in their daughter's diary their permission for her dismissal from class.  Students may only be dismissed early from the College with written parental/carer authorisation. 

Thank you for your assistance.

Mrs Jo Anderson
Director of Pastoral Care

Year 9 CP Welcomes Guest Speaker - Paramedic Kris Bobetic

It was our pleasure to welcome Ms Kris Bobetic in Week 5, to speak in the Year 9 CP program.  Kris is an experienced paramedic, now working with Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA).  She works closely with Mr Paul Dillon and her presentation is a pre-learning to support his annual presentations to our senior students.

Kris is a passionate advocate for relatable health and drug education.  She is an expert in both front-line experience and theoretical training, and she is committed to delivering best-practice education that is accurate, age appropriate and non-judgemental.

This workshop focuses on alcohol with an emphasis on ‘positive norms’.  As a result of this interactive workshop the students should be able to identify that:

·        Most Year 9 students do not drink alcohol.

·        There are no safe places to be drunk and all environments entail a certain degree of risk.

·        A Year 9 student is not able to look after a drunk person on their own and will need to seek assistance.

·        It is important to develop clear rules around alcohol and teenage parties that may reduce associated risks.

Kris strongly believes that young people have a great role to play in their own wellbeing and that collaboration brings about the best outcomes.  Her top quote is:

 ’Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world’. (Nelson Mandela)

Our College counsellor, Ms Sophia De Prendegast, will also be working with our CP teachers during these sessions.  She will be available for any students wishing to talk with her.  Please do not hesitate to contact me directly if I may support your daughter further.

Mrs Jo Anderson
Director of Pastoral Care

Week 1:

During CP sessions for the rest of Terms 2 and 3, some students will be involved in the Peer Support program.  Thirty six Year 10 peer leaders will be working with all Year 7 students to engage in this program.  Every fortnight, groups of twelve Year 7 students work with three peer leaders and work through a range of activities that focus on resilience.

Students work in House groups.  Meeting in small groups allows meaningful connections to form, assisting students with the transition to secondary school. Over a period of eight sessions students will acknowledge their strengths and achievements, identify who supports them and learn how to view challenges as opportunity for growth.

Ms Vanessa Brown
Science Teacher

Last Saturday, Lilas-Mae Njoo, Ella Humpheys, Millie Welling and I went to Rosebank College to participate in the 'Ethics Olympiad'.  We’d been preparing for this competition along with the other members of the Philosophy and Ethics Club since the beginning of the year, which involved having interesting discussions on topics such as data-violence, de-extinction, women’s beauty standards, political correctness and China’s social credit system, using ethical theories such as utilitarianism, deontology, consequentialism and intellectualism.  Over the past term, the students attending the P&E Club have volunteered incredibly profound and diverse opinions and thoughts, allowing us to delve deep into these ethical issues.

We all thoroughly enjoyed the competition and the opportunity it provided us to have discussion with each other and with students from other schools about these very topical issues.  We’re very proud to have been awarded second place silver medals in the competition, and I applaud all the students who attend P&E who helped us prepare for the competition, as well as the girls in the team. 

We are also very thankful for Mrs Ginzburg for her work and support in organising our participation in the competition, and for providing us with sustenance in the form of a delicious lunch to give us the energy and mind-power we needed to have thought-provoking debate and discussion.  We look forward to continuing our ethical debates on Wednesdays at lunchtime.  We will now start preparing for the Philosothon competition with the first round coming up in June. 

Bibi O’Loghlin, Year 11

Mrs Donna Ginzburg
Gifted and Talented Coordinator

Co-ordinator of Sport: Ms Jacinta Jacobs: 0418 416 663 / jacobsj@stvincents.nsw.edu.au

Ms Vanessa Brown:    0412 979 599 - Football
Ms Jacinta Jacobs:      0418 416 663 - Athletics/Cross Country
Ms Kat McGrath:        0411 697 195 - Netball
Ms Laura Wiggins:     0418 329 929 - Hockey
Ms Molly MacQueen:   0448 882 121 - Basketball.

Website details:    https://www.stvincents.nsw.edu.au/learning/sport/

For all draw and venue information visit this website. 

Inter-House Athletics Carnival at E S Marks Field - Thursday 30 May

The highlight of the term will be the Inter-House Athletics Carnival which is being held on Thursday 30 May.  All students are encouraged to compete in as many events as possible for their House.  Girls wishing to compete in the first event, the 800m, are to be on the first bus.  

All students are to be at school by 8.20am for Roll Call and then will be sent to the buses by Mr Hekeik.  SVC uniform or Sports uniform is to worn to school and then you can change into your House colours. There will be no racing in dress up costumes due to safety concerns.

The Inter-House 1500m will be held at fitness training on Monday 27 May, and any girls interested in competing for their House must register with Ms Jacobs via email.  These competitors will meet Ms Jacobs outside the change rooms at 3.15pm and walk down to Rushcutters Bay together.  We will be finished at approximately 4.15pm.

There is also a copy of the Carnival program and Records on the Garcia noticeboard for those who would like to get prepared for the Carnival.

The College Athletics team is chosen from this Carnival, with one girl permitted to compete in each event at the IGSSA Carnival at Homebush on 28 and 29 August, next term.  The fitness sessions on Wednesdays will change to E S Marks after our Carnival and all girls selected in the squad are to attend as many of these sessions as they can.  The College team will compete in two lead up twilight meets at Homebush, on Friday 9 and 16 August.  More information will be given to the team once selected.

TERM 2 NETBALL

Year 7 Program  

Year 7 have come along ‘leaps and bounds’.  There is a lot of skill to develop and the girls are really interested in learning to be better players.  We finish the 90 minutes with 30 minutes of round-robin games.  Winning teams receive a point for their House.  At the end of the seven weeks, we will have an ‘awards ceremony’ and hand out small prizes to the winning House members!  

St Catherine’s School Wednesday Night Competition

Our teams are training hard and attendance rates are good.  It’s also pleasing to see emails regarding absences coming through, displaying courtesy and forward planning.  During the Wednesday competition, we win some and lose some.  Our coaches are strong and adapt to each team.  We love a win. However, it’s really about working together as a team, pushing ourselves on the court and enjoying the fitness benefits.

Ms Kat McGrath
Head Netball Coach

Below:   SVC 1 netball

IGSSA Football

St Vincent’s has four teams currently in the Term 2 IGSSA Saturday morning competition.  It is pleasing to see that the majority of players are training seriously and showing improvements in games on Saturday.  As always, their effort and fair play is exemplary.  

SVC 1 had a slow start to the season, however, with a brilliant 2-0 win on the weekend our season is finally getting going.  A win against a previously undefeated Kambala was just what was needed to build confidence.

SVC 2 is currently undefeated in their competition with three strong wins.  They are currently equal first with Abbotsleigh.  Congratulations girls, and also to new coach Mr Nick Schroeder!

SVC 3 is currently in 4th place with a win, draw and loss under their belt.  A strong end to the season should see them finish with a good result.

SVC 4 this year has seen a keen interest from Year 7 in joining football, which is wonderful.  We have many players who have never played before or with very little experience.  SVC 04 is showing great improvements every single week and their coaches are working hard with them to improve and learn all the rules, positions and skills of the game.  They had a 4-0 win against PLC on the weekend, showing that all the hard work is paying off.  This is only a short season with seven games so we are almost nearing the halfway point. 

A quick reminder that for IGSSA football there are no finals, it is first past the post who wins.  Good luck to all our teams this weekend! 

Ms Vanessa Brown
Head Football Coach

Above:  SVC 2 with coach Schroeder

Below:  Year 7 football

IGSSA Hockey Trials

Hockey Trials/training will be held on Wednesday 5 June at David Phillips Field Daceyville, 4.00pm-5.00pm instead of our normal training.  This is for all girls who have registered to play in Term 3.  The bus will leave Victoria Street at 3.15pm sharp.  Please make sure you bring your hockey stick, shin pads, and mouthguard.

Five-A-Side-Football

There will be no trials for football for next term.  These teams are to be nominated to Ms Brown by one person per team and must have 7/8 names.  Any girls who do not have a team organized are to see or email Ms Vanessa Brown  brownv@stvincents.nsw.edu.au .

IGSSA Netball Term 3 Trials 

With so many enthusiastic netballers, we are giving you plenty of time to get organized.  Please ensure you wear your correct sports uniform (no black tights) and bring lots of water.  Please be diligent in attending your trials and ensure you can attend with limited excuses.  Any questions please email Molly MacQueen  mollygmacqueen@gmail.com 

New to SVC Netball Years 8-12:  Those who haven't played IGSSA netball before are meant to attend both trials - one this morning plus the relevant one below. 

SVC Seniors 1-3:  Please only attend if you believe your skill level to be of this standard, Friday 31 May 3:15pm-4:30pm.  (The sign up sheet is on the netball sports room door (outside the PDHPE staffroom).

Junior Trials (Years 8-9):  Monday 3 June - 3:15pm-4:45pm. 

Senior Trials (Years 10-12):  Tuesday 4 June - 3:15pm-4:45pm. 

*** Please plan ahead with informing your other commitments that you are required to attend these trials.

Ms Molly MacQueen
Head Netball Coach

SPORT STARS

Congratulations to the following girls who are the College's 2019 Cross Country Age Champions from their fine efforts at the IGSSA Cross Country Carnival at Frensham last week. Medals will be presented at the next College Assembly.

12 years - Tyler Ellis - Year 7

13 years - Jaz Walker - Year 7

14 years - Chloe Cook - Year 8

15 years - Mia Timbs - Year 9

16 years - Tess Webster - Year 10

17 years - Shea Donohoe - Year 12

18 years - Ashley Preston - Year 12. 

Please keep the Sport staff informed of any good sporting results held outside of the College.  Information and photos can be emailed to jacobsj@stvincents.nsw.edu.au

Ms Jacinta Jacobs
Co-Ordinator of Sport

Year 9 Parents and Carers Social Evening

Year 9 Parents and Carers are invited to a social function being held on Friday 31 May 2019.

The event will be hosted by Arabella Joseph, Katrina Skinner and Penny Wright.  The cost of $25 per head includes light finger food.  Drinks for purchase at The Bellevue.

For more details, please direct enquiries to Katrina Skinner on 0438 933 319 or email mackinnon-5@bigpond.com, or Arabella Joseph on 0409 845 558 or email arabella_joseph@bigpond.com.

Venue:  The Bellevue Hotel, 159 Hargrave Street, Paddington

Come and join in the fun! 

Book by 28 May by clickingHERE.

(Our Book Reviewer, Ms Suzanne O'Connor, is now living in Timor Leste working in a volunteer capacity with the Loreto Sisters).

Thirty Years in a Five Star Hotel:  A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Amor Towles was “involved in the investment industry” for most of his adult life, according to his profile.  When his first novel was published some years ago, I loved it.  Rules of Civility was set in Manhattan during the 1920’s and seemed to capture the essence of that time of celebration of excess with great skill.  As a complete contrast, his new-ish novel begins in Moscow in 1922.  Count Rostov has returned from exile in France to guide his mother out of Russia.  He succeeds but he is then arrested.  The Bolshevik court would have usually sentenced him to death for being a parasitic aristocrat.  However, as an ardent younger poet, he had written in praise of the Revolution.  It is decided that he will be labelled a “Former Person” and sentenced to indefinite house arrest.  All of his many properties have been appropriated by the State, so his imprisonment is in the luxury hotel directly opposite the theatre where the Bolshoi Ballet is performing.

Count Rostov has been living in a suite in this hotel, The Metropole, but now he is moved to a minute room with a few of his belongings, one of which is a remarkable heavy desk from the time of Louis XIV.  With his usual urbane charm and grace, the Count accepts this adjustment to his life.  He is beloved by the staff whom he treats with genuine respect and consideration.  Eventually (not because of lack of funds, remember the desk) the Count becomes the head waiter at the hotel’s finest dining room.

He also befriends the daughter of an important official who is too important to raise his child.  Nina is intelligent and delightful.  As a young woman, she is a devout communist and goes with other brilliant young people to “assist” the peasants into collective farms.  She disappears forever, but not before leaving the Count her own daughter, Sonia, to whom she will return within the month.  With the assistance of the devoted hotel staff and his beloved “willowy lady”, the Count is an excellent father.  Outside the revolving front doors of the Metropole, Russian history takes place.  Although he cannot use those doors or any other exit, the Count is an interested observer and, of course, serves many of the great and the tyrannical in the dining room.  By 1954, Sonia has grown up to be a brilliant pianist, one of the students from the Moscow Conservatorium chosen to perform in Paris.  The Count makes a great sacrifice and enables her to defect to the West while he finally leaves his luxurious prison.

This is a beautifully written book.  It can also be seen as a detailed history of Russia over thirty or so crucial years.  As an obsessed reader of Russian history, this made the book especially appealing to me.  It can also be read as a deeper fable about freedom and choices, as well as depicting goodness in the form of an unlikely hero.  Somehow, Towles seems to be writing like one of the great Russian novelists of the nineteenth century.  He really is a literary chameleon!  For all these reasons, I do recommend this quirky and wise book.

By Ms Suzanne O'Connor

The next P&F Association's Meeting and Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday 18 June 2019 at 6.30pm.  (see the SVC Community email sent on Tuesday 21 May).