Questacon Science Circus! 

On Wednesday, 20th March students from the Junior Campus had a mind-blowing visit from the incredible Questacon Science Circus! The show's goal was for students to get involved, test their ideas, and spark a curiosity in science that they could take away with them inside and outside the classroom.
It was a day filled with laughter, learning, and a bit of mess (all in the name of science, of course!). It was a fantastic day that sparked curiosity and a love of science in all of us. A huge thanks to the Questacon Science Circus for this fantastic experience!

Visual Art Classes at the Junior Campus

In Terms 2 and 3, students in Prep to Year 4 will engage in Visual Art with Miss Clark for their weekly Arts lesson.

Students will require a smock or old button-up shirt to cover their uniform.

Some students will already have a smock or similar in their classroom and these will be perfect. If not, please ensure your child brings a named smock or shirt to school at the beginning of Term 2. 

My first car was a Holden Gemini. It was pretty run down but reliable. It wasn’t packed with many frills but managed to serve a purpose in getting me from A to B, never breaking down. I had to bring a towel with me for hot days as the vinyl seats were simply too hot to sit on. My Gemini was still operating with a cassette player, which gave me hours of enjoyment creating mixed tapes to be played on it. Air conditioning was not a standard feature in cars in 1997, and features such as power steering, automatic windows, bluetooth and keyless entry were not invented. There are many car features that are now available which were a luxury, or even not available, back in 1997. Cars today have been designed to provide better comfort for their users, without compromising the purpose of getting people to places.

Comparing experiences today to 25 years ago is comparing apples and pears. It can be argued that our lives today are faster paced, more complex and involve more change. Today we are expected to be agile in our behaviours, continuously looking to improve and adapt to an ever changing environment. Educationalist Simon Breakspear describes this as ‘radical incrementalism’, the ability to honour the past, and relentlessly design for the future. In the example of my Holden Gemini, improvements in car design and passenger comfort does not mean that the Gemini wasn’t effective, but redesign has occurred to meet the needs of car users today. This change process correlates to educational change in that we identify to key themes:

1. What is fit for purpose?
2. What needs to be removed?

While we, as adults, accept and cope with the faster pace, greater complexity and further change in our own lives, we need to support and educate our students in embracing change. While there have been many educational advancements over the past 25 years, we are still yet to fully appreciate or understand what further changes will occur for our students in the next 25 years. Technology is a consistent vehicle in innovation that showcases this. Our students entering our school are now the third generation of smartphone technology and greater accessibility of information. Yet, our current challenge is to still maximise the connectivity, creativity and innovative opportunities that technology provides while still embracing the critical importance of relationships. After all, relationships are still the killer app of learning. The following Youtube clip highlights the integral importance that relationships play: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk390MJRybA

At our Middle Campus Information Evening and 2025 Year 7 Interviews, we highlight that the students entering Year 7 in 2025 will be completing Year 12 in 2030. Many of the jobs that they will be entering are not currently invented. Therefore, one of the greatest strengths we can provide our students is to be resilient and lifelong learners. Emotional intelligence, social awareness, complex problem solving, creativity, relational skills, a strong values base, along with academic understanding are all important, but it is the capacity to be a lifelong learner through cognitive flexibility, that is the strength to learn and then re-learn, which will equip them for their ever changing future. As adults we can assist them in this preparation by modelling lifelong learning ourselves.

Term 1 Celebrations

A moment not reflected on can be a moment wasted. When we reflect over Term 1 there are an enormous amount of events and activities that have taken place that added to the fabric of the culture created at the Middle Campus. By no means exhaustive, we share our thanks to all staff involved in preparing, organising, implementing and leading the following: 

• Commencement Liturgy
• NAPLAN
• Year 5/6 and 7-10 Goal Setting/Parent Teacher Afternoons/Evening
• Middle Campus Information Evening
• Year 7 (2025) Parent and Enrolment Meetings
• Year 7 Camp
• SATIS Sport
• Year 3-6 SACC Swimming Carnival
• Year 3-6 Huon/Channel Swimming Carnival
• Year 3-6 SATIS Swimming Carnival
• Year 7-12 SACC Athletics Carnival
• SATIS Years 7-12 Athletics Carnival
• After School Chess Club and Maths Club
• Run Club
• Breakfast Club
• Year 5/6 MJR Day
• Year 7 Reflection Day
• Lent/Easter Liturgies (including Purple Day)
• Middle Campus Afternoon/Twilight Tours
• ATSI Welcome Barbecue

These activities are not possible without the support of all staff. On top of the normal teaching and learning program, we are grateful for all their time, effort and energy in making this possible.

Year 7 Camp

A special thanks to Mr Josh Leach for all his leadership, preparation, organisation and energy with our Year 7 Camp this week. Camps are excellent formational experiences for students where they can challenge and learn about themselves, as well as develop spirit and character as a whole class or year level. Our thanks also to the staff who gave of their time and supported: Mrs Jess Agius, Mrs Sophie Bird, Dr Margaret Lindsay, Miss Olivia Cripps, Mr Paul County, Mrs Polly Marriott, Mr Clynton Scharvi, Mr Tom Elkhair, Mr Brendan Kelly, Mrs Megan Harris, Miss Hannah Ryan, Mrs Cassandra Gordon-Smith, Mrs Kate Webb, Mrs Janine Headley and Mr Ben Goss. 

Time and Space

Time and Space is a guided conversation for students and their parents to discuss matters of importance and from both the child's and parent's perspective. St Aloysius will be hosting a Time and Space evening for Year 7s and their mum's or special people on Wednesday, 1st May. Parents and children attending are asked to arrive by 6:45pm for a 7:00pm start.

Emergency Evacuation Procedures

We are required to have emergency evacuation practices regularly at school, in the unlikely event we are required to use them. We will be focussing on both a Fire Evacuation and Internal Lockdown early in Term 2. Staff and students are prepared for these and feedback is collected to improve practice.

Breakfast Club

Breakfast Club is a wonderful way to start each Friday at the MC. This involves a free breakfast but, more importantly, creates a community of students who socialise and interact together in starting the school day on a positive note. Breakfast Club runs each Friday from 8:00-8:20am outside the Canteen.

Mr Clynton Scharvi – Deputy Principal: Middle Campus

I hope everyone had a holy, happy and restful Easter break a couple of weeks ago, and I am sure our students are ready for another break after a busy last week and a half of term. While it has been a busy term, it has been rewarding one as we settled into the new facility and senior campus life. Over the final weeks of term, it has been action-packed in and out of the classroom for both our staff and students.

Goal Setting Interviews

In Week 7, we welcomed parents and guardians to both the Middle and Senior Campuses for Goal Setting Interviews. These were a great opportunity for students
to set up their goals with their teacher and parents/guardians for the remainder of the year in each subject. It was great to see constructive conversations take place on
both afternoons, and students planning out their year and targets they have set
themselves. 

First Nations Welcome BBQ

On Tuesday, 19th March we held our annual First Nations Welcome BBQ at the Senior Campus. This is a wonderful opportunity to welcome all members of our community, particularly our First Nations students and their families, as we celebrate their culture and the multitude of things it brings and enhances in our College community. We were lucky enough to have Uncle Rodney Dillon in attendance at the BBQ to give a Welcome to Country and talk to members of our community.

I would like to offer a big thank you to Anne-Marie McWatters who put in a mountain of work to get the BBQ organised, and the many helpers who set up and packed up the event. It was a wonderful event, and great to be able to have at our new campus.

NAPLAN

Our Year 9 students have had their final NAPLAN tests for their schooling, which I
know for many was a great relief. Thank you to all the staff who helped organise the
running and administering of the tests at the Senior Campus.

SATIS Athletics

Our College Athletics team backed up their performance at the SSATIS Athletics
Carnival with an impressive display at the SATIS Athletics Carnival. After winning the
CO-ED Junior Shield at the Southern Event, the team were able to finish 4th in the
State events, again being the highest-placed southern school. Our boys also led an
impressive display coming 3rd in the Junior Boys Shield.

TASC Moderation Day

Before the Easter Break, our Senior Campus Staff participated in TASC (Tasmanian
Assessment, Standards and Certification) moderation. This is a mandated day,
where teachers have the opportunity to moderate work for Year 11 and 12 courses to
ensure quality control. I would like to thank all staff who participated in moderation
for the time and effort they put in, and the continued hard work they put in to ensure that our TASC courses are delivered to the highest standard.

VET Pathway Information Evening

On Tuesday, 26th March we held our VET Pathways information evening. This was a
chance for students to learn about the possibilities that VET has to offer and the
pathways it can provide especially in apprenticeships. I would like to thank Marcelle
Ottaway our 11/12 Coordinator and Careers Counsellor, and Natasha Harris our VET
Liason Officer for running the evening and providing advice to our students
contemplating careers in this area.

A final note is that there will be an end-of-term letter sent out to all Senior Campus
families, with some important reminders for all students before returning in Term 2. I
wish all students a safe and restful term break, and we look forward to welcoming
everyone back at the beginning of Term 2.

Mr Bradley Canning – Deputy Principal: Senior Campus

VET Hospitality

In VET Hospitality this term we have been busy learning about hygiene and beginning to make a range of non alcoholic drinks such as Strawberry and Mango Margaritas and Lime Mojitos. Students have been learning about various pieces of equipment that can be found in hospitality and how to use them, and being able to make drinks to industry standard. 

VET Construction

This term, the Year 10 VET Construction class have been looking at  Industry WHS standards and basic Hand Tool Skills.

In recent lessons the students have learnt how to mark out and cut a lap joint and a housing joint using tools such as a Set Square, Marking Gauge, Hand Saw and Chisel. At the end of this term and start of next term students will be attempting to pass their White Card Test so they can legally work on a building site.

 

VET Community Services

The Grade 10 VET Community Services (Intro to Early Childhood) students have just started their practical lessons at the Junior Campus. The students enjoyed meeting our Explorers families and some got to see how things are done in Kinder. The students did an amazing job helping at the Junior Campus Purple Day events. They did face painting and nail polish for all of the classes! Next term, the Year 10s will attend fortnightly visits to the Junior Campus, where they will get to spend time getting to know and supporting children in the Explorers program and in the early years classes.