Thursday 07 April: Year 7 Vaccinations - NSW Health Immunisation program. (See Mr Hekeik's article following below)
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Friday 08 April: Last day of classes Term 1.
Boarding House closes at 6.00pm. (See Boarder Lines article below)
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2022 Foxford Days (Students are actively engaged in online learning based at home): 23 May; (27 October to be confirmed).
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Tuesday 26 April from 4.00pm: Boarders' return.
Wednesday 27 April: First day of classes Term 2.
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Year 7 Vaccinations will take place next Thursday from 9:00am.
A reminder to parents and carers to return your daughter’s signed consent form to student services if you have not already done so. Please email Mr Hekeik (hekeikj@stvincents.nsw.edu.au
Dear Parents and Carers
The experiences of the week we have just had will live on in the folklore of individual students, who Year groups and indeed, the College. 2022 - the year we went on camp in a pandemic! I am overwhelmingly grateful to the staff who stepped up and over the line to ensure the students had a fantastic experience of being out in the bush, or in the silence of a retreat or just having fun. Truly graced moments for them to savour for a very long time. The weather offered some exceptional challenges with wind, rain, high tides and cool conditions. This varied enormously from camp to camp but none of the sites had optimal conditions. The resilience of our students and staff, however, allowed them to defeat the weather with their positive mindsets. Mountain biking, strategic problem-solving, archery, canoeing, team games, "leap of faith" and other vertical challenges, were just some of the confidence building activities on offer to our Years 7-10 students. The Retreat programs for Years 11 and 12 were structured around activities good for heart, mind and soul. Thank you also, to the majority of our families who supported their daughters participation despite the challenges of the weather and the virus. Your confidence gave your daughters the confidence to participate with the program.
Next week is the last week of this exceptional term. It has been exceptional on so many levels - the weather, the industrial action on the trains, high staff and student absenteeism and the return to community life. I think the exhausted faces of the students and staff tell the story of a term lived 'in the moment'. Now the holidays will bring us some respite from adhering to schedules and routines. Such simple pleasures of a sleep in or leisurely walk with the family pooch will be the reward for some and for others the opportunity to travel again has proven to be strong. Whatever you are doing, wherever you are, I hope you are with the people who fill your heart with peace.
Through the holidays we will also commemorate Holy Week and then celebrate the joy of the Resurrection. The world laments for the people of Ukraine who will carry the heavy cross of Jesus this Holy Week. May they too experience the joy and peace of the Resurrection.
The Difficulty of Having Power
Jesus, by washing the disciples' feet, is saying something about the distinction so common in humanity
and throughout the history of humanity between master and slave,
between those in power and the powerless, between superiors and inferiors.
In many cultures, slaves did all the really difficult, strenuous, hard manual labour,
and were forced to work horribly long hours.
They were the ones who built the pyramids and the palaces of the emperors.
They were the ones on whose shoulders industrial societies depended,
as they worked in inhuman conditions and for a pittance.
Then, as now, immigrants in Europe did the work that others refused,
just as factory workers in the south
provide designer-label products for consumers in the north.
Jesus came to make things new. For Jesus, each person is precious,
each one is loved by God, each is called to become the 'home' of God;
each has gift to bring to others, each one should be deeply respected.
In hope,
Yours sincerely
Date and time: Saturday 09 April 2022 - 1.00pm to 2.00pm.
I am delighted to invite any student who may consider Boarding in the future to a Boarding Open House on Saturday 9 April at 1.00pm.
As a Boarding College, we are well resourced to provide students with opportunities to develop good routines, positive study habits, resilience and independence. I encourage students across all year groups to come along to this event and gain further insight into the benefits of our Boarding program. You will also have the opportunity to tour the Boarding House, dining room and student accommodation.
Our Director of Boarding, Ms Maryanne O’Donoghue and myself will be at the event and available for any questions you may have.
To reserve your place on this event, please email our friendly Registrar, Mrs Robyn Pedley.
“Learning is the only thing the mind never exhausts, never fears, and never regrets.” - Leonardo da Vinci
In my presentations to parents at the start of the year and in my first address to students at Assembly this year, I outlined the importance of the three ”O's” as part of hope-centred learning:
Each is worthy of consideration as an important component of the learning journey. This week students had three days away from the College at either camp or retreat and the three “O's” came into bearing without necessarily great announcement.
A significant part of the St Vincent's learning journey is to be part of a community of learners, and recognition of the significance of “others” in our own personal learning journey. Being in community promotes collaboration and the opportunity to learn from peers as well as to share our own insights with others. Everyone lifts on the rising tide. It is through engagement with others that we can collaborate and work together. I acknowledge that this is a skill that does not come easily to everyone and requires a conscious effort to build up as a necessary skill in life.
The learning experiences of this week were diverse and accessed from a huge range of perspectives. Whether on camp or retreat, each day held many opportunities to learn new skills, perspectives and something of one’s self. The nexus between wellbeing, including a sense of one’s spiritual side and learning is immense. Both learning and wellbeing provide oxygen for each other and need to be not seen as compartmentalised, but rather as significant interconnecting strands on the whole self. This week provided a rare opportunity to invest in activities that fundamentally are designed to enhance one’s wellbeing and my hope is that students made the most of the opportunities by being open to participate in the different programs.
Often without being conscious beyond the more memorable and enjoyable experiences of these days away, students will have grown and developed in a huge range of aspects in their learning journeys. This will include in their thinking, perspective, problem-solving, collaboration, self-awareness, resilience and interests. These are the outcomes that will support them in their learning at Vinnies and whatever they pursue beyond the College gates. The seeds sown in these times will grow and come to fruition in many ways over time, not the least of which in their learning back in the classroom. After the past two years, the opportunity to be away together, spending time outdoors, takes on a whole new perspective, one we all greatly appreciate and hope will return to be part of the ‘new norm”.
A reminder to all parents/carers, to please fill in 'End of Term Leave' on Orah. Boarders’ Travel Day is Friday 8 April and we will close the Boarding House by 6.00pm that evening.
Yours in Boarding
There Are More Things in Heaven and Earth, Playwrights,
Than Are Dreamt of on Your Stage
- by Sofia Dermody, Bonnie Joseph, Maya Robson, Scarlett Huxley, Ella Humphreys, Ella Wise, Lilas-Mae Njoo
The night began with panic. Half our English class lost outside, others grabbing dinner from Woollies and only five minutes to go until the doors of the playhouse closed, with our flustered teacher inside wondering where the hell we all were. After finally gaining the courage to ask the guards which of the hundreds of doors was the entrance, we eventually found ourselves shuffling to our seats in the second row. The stage was decorated with 1960s furniture, a black steel frame, vintage film projected on the wall of a young Hamlet at the beach and a quiet Horatio spotlighted at the edge of the stage, wringing his hands as if he had seen a ghost. Or was just about to. The lights dimmed, the chatter faded and after a welcoming speech from the director about how the flash floods we had trekked through to get here were very “King Lear”, Hamlet began. And like a wicked seance, a ghost drifted onto the stage.
Our Extension English 1 teacher had to beg the school to let us go despite the heavy rain; excursions were always the light at the end of the tunnel after a term of slugging through a text, but they were rarely handed out - let alone a 3 hour play that ended at 10:30pm. But as we whispered into each other’s ears as Hamlet proclaimed his mother a whore, and Ophelia drowned, and Horatio stood by quietly watching the downfall of his royal family with a vacant gaze, we couldn’t help but wonder why we didn’t witness all our Shakespeare plays an inch from our nose, unfolding before our eyes. For Shakespeare is a playwright and a play is meant to be seen, not read. And we certainly saw many things…
As a class, it was important not to come into the theatre with any preconceived expectations. This was paramount in order to fully immerse ourselves in the experience. For me, that meant only having half-read a short Wikipedia summary of the plot two minutes before the play started, but each to their own I guess. Realistically, having studied Shakespeare before I should’ve been prepared for his proclivity to kill off an absurd amount of characters. However, it’s a testament to the actors that even though I spoiled the play during intermission (Hamlet dies! Why did no one forewarn me?) we were still completely engrossed the entire time. We felt Laertes’ pain as he learnt of Ophelia’s death. We understood Hamlet’s rage towards his new step-father, Claudius. The play was of such a high calibre, that moments of tension (and even those instances in which the stage was filled with nothing but confetti-snow drifting from the ceiling) were profoundly impactful, gifting us a greater awareness of how Shakespeare intended his plays to be comprehended.
When it comes to gender binaries, Shakespeare often bends the barriers and breaks the boundaries through his characters. I’d like, for a moment, to take our current political context away from this casting choice. Harriet Gordon-Anderson was a compelling and convincing Hamlet. Her mannerisms and delivery mirrored a more masculine-presenting character, which is a testament to her ability as an actor to embody a character that diverges from her own self. There is almost a poetic sense of irony to see a woman play the part of a man, when in Shakespeare’s time, all characters both male and female were played by men. It’s like we have come full circle. Casting Harriet Gordon-Anderson as the lead character was not to fill some quota or make some political statement - I fear this takes away from women’s achievements in theatre and undermines their talent and ambition under the guise of progressivism. Rather, Gordon-Anderson’s ability to become a living, breathing embodiment of some words written on a page centuries ago is the reason she was cast. This is not to diminish the victory this represents for female actors and for women in theatre as a whole. This is merely to recognise that the same playwright who wrote brilliant, barrier-breaking characters like Lady Macbeth, Cordelia, Portia and Rosalind, would likely rejoice at the celebration of women who can play both male and female characters on the stage.
The cast came together to create something so wildly captivating, especially considering the ability of one male actor who stood in as Laertes with only a few days notice (this becomes even more exceptional when you consider he had to perform a whole fencing scene in the climax). As individuals they shone, our class taking a particular liking to Ophelia, who captured a descent into madness with such artistic skill and integrity, particularly noting Ophelia's funeral, in which she gives one final haunting grin to Hamlet and the audience, a firm signal of her strength as a character and actress. The subtle gender-bend of Hamlet's friend, Guildenstern, instilled a delicate female touch and a voice of reason to Hamlet's story, leading the play to become all the much richer for it.
Another riveting component of this production was Anna Tregloan’s set design, which equipoised the traditional aspects of the play with the modern. Hamlet’s traditional setting of Elsinore, a bleak and snow-covered region of Denmark, was brought to life through the use of falling snow. Although just mere pieces of paper confetti, Tregloan manipulated it to fall elegantly and realistically, often in times of tension. This element was complemented by the modern representation of the Royal Court through a simplistic metal scaffolding, which could be moved by the set to indicate a change of time and setting. This element was highly inspired by elements of Grotowski's ‘Poor Theatre’. To establish a homely essence, they filled this space with 1960s furniture, bringing Hamlet into a more modern light.
When I returned home from the theatre and all the next day at school, I had people asking me questions: How did they represent the ghost? How did they make the fight scenes believable? How did you stop seeing Hamlet as a man played by a woman? But these were not the questions that our class felt were most important. For us, this production of Hamlet was able to make us forget that we were viewing a performance. Instead, we were right there alongside Hamlet as he mourned for his father, hated his uncle and loved Ophelia from afar. When you’re lucky enough to sit in the second row as we were, you often meet the eyes of the actors as they deliver their lines. You can see the tears on their cheeks and hear the anger catch in their throats. Our questions were about the “why” not the “how”. Why did Hamlet have to treat Ophelia so badly? “Why couldn’t Gertrude have been warned about the poisoned drink? Why (SPOILER ALERT) did they all have to die?
Shakespeare is not meant to be read. It’s meant to be experienced. To be alive. To be…or not to be. I suppose that is the question.
Student Name | Year | Text Title and Composer | A brief ‘blurb’/plot summary Identify the key themes/ideas | Your personal response to the text eg: Tell us something that you Liked/Disliked/Found Interesting/Found Frustrating/Had Questions About. - Choose one quote or passage from the text that you liked/resonated with you. Include it in this column and explain the reasons for your selection. | Rating - out of 5 stars |
Emeline Kwok-Valevale | 12 | ‘The Stranger’ by Albert Camus | “‘The Stranger’ follows protagonist Meursault, a detached, emotionless young man living in Algiers”. Now this may sound a little boring (honestly, I was reluctant to start hearing this synopsis), but it truly is a wonderful exploration of absurdism, passivity, chance and the complexity of human relationships. I would give away more, but I feel it’s best read with little known… | Stylistically, I found Camus’ elaborate descriptions captivating. It was thrilling to read as hidden vivid imagery allowed me to sit in humid court rooms, walk the Algerian streets and stand on the beach with Meursault, blinded by the scorching sun. Conceptually, I’ve never felt so much existential dread! I will say though, I found Meursault's absurdist insights thought provoking - his total apathy towards the world and others did irritate me a little. While I could sympathise with his sentiment, it was quite ‘woe is me’ at times. I feel the last lines of the novel well-summarise the book, Camus writing: “As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the benign indifference of the world.” | ★★★★☆ |
Francesca Oaten | 12 | ‘Norwegian Wood’by Haruki Murakami | Toru Watanabe is a university student, whose infatuation with Naoko is overshadowed by the passing of their mutual friend only a few years earlier. As Watanabe falls deeper into his love for her, she slips further into her own world, marred by the sadness she has harboured since the death. As readers, we follow Watanabe as he struggles to decide between the past and the present - between the woman he waits for and the woman who waits for him - whilst also confronting his thoughts surrounding death, loss, love and life. | This book made my lengthy train trips pass a little quicker. Murakami has the innate ability to pinpoint a feeling so small and specific, and describe it in a way that makes you wonder if you’ve always felt this way and simply never had the words to articulate it. The book dealt with some pretty heavy topics and frankly, I think the death of Kizuki is something that will stick with me for a while, but exploring them through Watanabe’s introspective narration made them a little more digestible. I will say, I didn’t love all of the characters - I have a lot of words I could use to describe Nagasawa and I don’t think too many of them bear repeating - and there were a few (explicit) scenes that left me feeling pretty uneasy, but all in all it was a decent read. If a novel narrated by a man who quietly observes the “trembling’s of his own heart” appeals to you, then I would gently encourage reading. Just keep in mind the nature of some of the topics discussed and the fact that, like me, you’ll probably have The Beatles Norwegian Wood stuck in your head for the next month. | ★★★★☆ |
Freja Raaijmakers | 11 | Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton | “Everything I Know About Love” is a memoir written by a journalist and former Sunday Times columnist, Dolly Alderton. In her memoir, she recounts her experiences in life and discusses her friends, family, formative experiences and what she feels she knows about love. | I found this book extremely insightful on concepts so foundational to life. The memoir was written beautifully, with snippets of humour and witty remarks. I loved the way she incorporated different styles of writing through adding chapters that seemed to sum up the stories she had just told. I found the way she wrote about her friendships really poetic and honest. She spoke about emotions in a way that made me feel less guilty about feeling them too. One of my favourite parts of the book was her lists of things she put in. | ★★★★★ |
Tess McGrath | 11 | Joe Cinque’s Consolation by Helen Garner | Helen Garner follows the trials of the death of Joe Cinque by his girlfriend, a young ANU law student. It is a semi-biographical book that reflects on Garner’s thoughts throughout the process, but also attempts to portray the true story of what happened the night Joe Cinque died. | This book was an eye-opening experience to the drug filled world that was Canberra, in specific ANU, during the 1990’s. It explores this world through a strange murder trial of young students, but rather than this being simply a murder trial novel, for me, Garner’s reflection on the nature of the judiciary system and specifically the concept of “evil” and the moral obligations of a bystander to a dangerous situation. | ★★★★★ |
Chloe Cooke | 11 | ‘ThunderHead”By Neal Shusterman | “Thunderhead” is the sequel to ‘Scythe’ and follows two perspectives of Rowan/Scythe Lucifer and Citra/Scythe Anastacia. It’s based in a dystopian world where the “Thunderhead” is an artificial intelligence that controls the world. However, humans have one responsibility that the Thunderhead doesn’t control, which is death. A selective group called Scythe has the responsibility of “Gleaning” a certain number of humans per conclave, however, the Scythedom has become corrupt with the New Guard and Old Guard. | I found that reading this book became quite a chore at the start. The beginning mostly gave context to the situation after the first book and the middle was boring. Nothing in the middle really happened at all, its only purpose was to provide context to the ending. The ending was amazing. The plot twists were shocking, and the emotional roller coaster was intense. | ★★★☆☆ |
Isabel Murray-Nobbs | 11 | Beach Read | ‘Beach Read’ by Emily Henry is a rom com that follows the stories of two writers experiencing writer's block who help each other out with exploring different styles. | The book was ‘substanceless’. The start was somewhat interesting but really fell away towards the end. It is a typical rom com that follows the same sort or story only in a different context, and it is boring. It’s like reading a sitcom - I don’t want to read it - I watch sitcoms. | ✭ |
Sarah D’Aloia | 11 | Where The Crawdads Sing | ‘Where The Crawdads Sing’ is a coming-of-age book set in the 1950-60s, following the main character’s growth and the trauma of her childhood. She learns to live alone and navigates her way through life’s many obstacles, including love. | Disappointing. I enjoyed the slow pace and the imagery throughout the book, it was pleasant and kind of therapeutic to read. As for the plot, the element of murder felt unnecessary and irrelevant to the protagonist’s established story. This also meant there were court scenes - these were far too long and added little to the plot. If these were eliminated and it focused majorly on coming-of-age, I would have enjoyed it much more. I’m surprised at how many five-star ratings it receives. I was underwhelmed. | ✭✭✭ |
Millie Papworth | 11 | Before the Coffee Gets Cold | This short novel, written by Japanese author Toshikazu Kawaguchi is about a cafe in Tokyo that is rumoured to allow customers to travel back in time. | ★★★★★ |
Co-ordinator of Sport: Ms Jacinta Jacobs: 0418 416 663 / jacobsj@stvincents.nsw.
Head of Tennis - Therese Taylor - 0408 711 881
Head of Touch, Volleyball 1, Netball, Basketball - Elyse Harmanis elyse.harmanis@gmail.com - 0434 610 870
Head of Water Polo - Hayley Boatswain - 0404 267 554
Head of Swimming/Cross Country - Ms Jacinta Jacobs - 0418 416 663
Head of Soccer: Mr Nick Schroeder - 0431 117 565
Head of Hockey: Mr Liam Jepson - 0422 027 649
Head of Cross Country: Ms Jacinta Jacobs - 0418 416 663.
Website: www.stvincents.nsw.edu.au/lea
For all draw and venue information go to: www.stvincents.nsw.edu.au/sport/weekly-sports-draw/
Unfortunately, we didn’t get to play our touch finals last weekend because of the weather, but we do have a couple of teams who finished the season on top of their table and have been awarded Premiers. Congratulations to our junior teams who worked hard at training and had some great wins. Well done SVC 9, coached by Ang Bresnahan and SVC 11 coached by Matt Harris, on your success.
Easts website: http://websites.sportstg.com/assoc_page.cgi?assoc=514
Ms Elyse Harmanis
Head Touch Coach
The weather was not kind to us again last week with all matches cancelled. The girls are to be congratulated for their great efforts at training each week and we look forward to seeing you all again in Term 4.
Ms Elyse Harmanis
Head Volleyball Coach elyse.harmanis@gmail.com
Unfortunately, all games were washed out last weekend. Hopefully we might get to play some final rounds this weekend! Please check your emails for venue updates on Saturday morning if it is raining. Congratulations to SVC 2 who have qualified for the Grand Final. Good luck to all teams this weekend!
Ms Therese Taylor
Head Tennis Coach
Below: Junior Tennis
We have been lucky that most water polo teams have still had their matches on Saturday mornings as most are indoors. This weekend, we have a few teams who have made the finals and others will play in minor play-offs. Congratulations to SVC 1 who will take on Kambala 1 in the Grand Final and our Year 7 team who play Loreto Kirribilli, in what are sure to be two very tough matches! Good luck to all teams!
Swimming sessions have now concluded for the term. We may start this up again in Term 4 if we have enough interest.
Ms Hayley Boatswain
Head Water Polo Coach
below: Water Polo
below: Junior Water Polo
The IGSA Carnival was held on Friday 25 March at Homebush Aquatic Centre. All swimmers did the College proud and many swam personal best times. We made 11 finals, with Ali Green winning four medals and Jana Kowalski winning the 14 years 100m.
Congratulations to the following girls who made finals:
Lily Rowbotham, Year 8
Jana Kowalski, Year 9
Ali Green, Year 8
Alexandra Tait, Year 11
Siara Ortolani, Year 11
Swimming training sessions have now concluded for the term. We hope to start this again in Term 4 if there is enough interest.
Below: SVC Swimming Team
below: Intermediate Relay
below: Junior Relay
Fitness training with Tash is on every Monday and Wednesday afternoon as we prepare for the IGSA Cross Country Carnival at Frensham on Friday 13 May in Term 2. We are allowed to enter up to ten competitors in each age group and this acts as the St Vincent’s Cross Country Championships, as first girl finished from each age group will be awarded our Age Champion. We would like to have a minimum of three per age group for the relay point scores, so we are looking for more competitors. 12 and 13 years only run 3km, with all other girls doing 4km except 18 years who have to do 6km.
All levels of fitness will be catered for at the training sessions and are not just for those wanting to do cross country. Any students wishing to improve their fitness are invited to come to one or both days. Please email Ms Jacobs if you would like to sign up. Students meet Tash outside the change rooms at 3.15pm. If it is wet they will do a fitness session in the gym. We will have our final fitness session for this term on Wednesday 6 April.
Below: Fitness Training
Trials have been held over the past few weeks as we need to grade our teams for the IGSA competitions. Most sports are full, although we do have a few spaces left in Year 7 Basketball, Junior Hockey and Junior Soccer - so any Year 7 , 8 or 9 students who would like to join please email Ms Jacobs.
Seniors Second Callback: Wednesday 6 April: 3:15pm-4:30pm.
Any seniors who missed last week due to illness/Tafe: Wednesday 6 April: 3:15pm-4:45pm.
PLEASE WEAR YOUR PE UNIFORM and meet on the bottom court.
Juniors: Second trial for those in Years 7, 8 and 9 who didn’t trial with seniors, plus anyone who missed the trials - Tuesday 5 April - 3.15pm-4.45pm.
Please wear your sports uniform and boots if you have them.
Congratulations to TOUCH teams 9 and 12,who were undefeated in their comps this term and will receive Pocket Authorities for their efforts!
Congratulations to Peggy Schell, Year 12, (pictured below)who has been selected in the IGSA Open Basketball team for the fifth year in a row!
This section is to make the College community aware of some of the exceptional athletes we have in the College. If your daughter has represented her state or country recently in her chosen Sport, please send us any results, photos or blurbs on her performance to jacobsj@stvincents.nsw.edu.
The College uniform will changeover to the winter uniform at the start of Term 2 and the items are now available in the Uniform Shop for purchase.
No appointment is required.
Please give Juliet a call on Ph: 02 8324 6622 for any queries on uniform requirements or to order over the phone (please know your daughter’s current summer dress size).
Alternatively, please visit the NOONE website to order online or visit the Uniform Shop during opening times (Monday and Friday 8.00am-2.00pm and Wednesday 12.00pm-5.00pm).
Julie Blackburn
Area Sales Manager