Newsletter Article: Term 4, Week 4 2023

World Teacher’s Day

 Today, on this auspicious occasion of World Teachers’ Day in Australia, we come together to celebrate, acknowledge, and express our gratitude to the remarkable educators who shape the future of our young people.

Within the Stuartholme community, we continue to be inspired by the commitment, professionalism, and excellence exhibited by our educators. We are truly fortunate to be the beneficiaries of their passion and expertise in guiding our students along the path of learning, preparing them for futures and careers that are yet to unfold.

Each Stuartholme teacher works tirelessly to provide a platform for our young people to exhibit courage, compassion, and confidence to be an agent of transformation in their lives and the lives of others.

We are incredibly grateful for the efforts of all of our teaching staff who contribute beyond the gates of Stuartholme to the broader profession through their involvement in networks, presentations, and student textbook contributions.

Stuartholme has continued to be recognised for both state and national awards acknowledging individuals and teams within our school for the contribution they make in the lives of our young people. We have also proud to have featured strongly in the national media focus on Australia’s Best Teachers in 2023.

As a community, we are incredibly grateful, and I encourage all to find a way to say thank you to our teachers to mark this special occasion.

Celebrating our success

Last Wednesday 18 October, the Concert Hall at QPAC was vividly brought to life as we came together for the Stuartholme 2023 Celebration of Excellence.

We embraced the opportunity to commemorate the remarkable accomplishments of our Stuartholme community. It’s worth noting that the Concert Hall was filled to capacity, a testament to the enthusiasm and support of our community.

This year, we proudly celebrated a record number of students, shining a spotlight on their accomplishments. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the families who graced the occasion with their presence and to the dedicated staff and students who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to bring this unforgettable event to fruition.

Deborah Lonsdale-Walker
Deputy Principal

Newsletter Article: Term 4, Week 4 2023

Last Friday, 20 October was the Feast of Mater Admirabilis

In 1828, Pope Leo XII invited the Society of the Sacred Heart to found a community and school at the Trinità dei Monti, a monastery at the top of the Spanish Steps in Rome. For 300 years, the monastery had housed a community of Minims, an order founded by St. Francis of Paola in the 15th century. The Order of Minims had abandoned the property during the French Revolution, and by 1828 the buildings were in need of repair. A contingent of RSCJ went to Rome to put the property in order under an agreement with the French government, which owned the property and specified that only French nuns would occupy the site.

Sixteen years after Religious of the Sacred Heart came to live at the Trinità, a young French woman, Pauline Perdrau, was admitted as a postulant to the Society. A talented artist, she asked permission of the superior of the house, Mother Josephine de Coriolis, to paint a portrait of Our Lady on a wall of a corridor that led to the sisters’ cloister. However, Mother Coriolis was hesitant, because she knew the artist was unfamiliar with fresco painting techniques.

Pauline Perdrau persisted, praying to Mary for strength. She prevailed, and for months after receiving permission to begin, she devoted several hours a day to preparing the surface of the wall and painting her image of Mary.

When the painting was complete, the colours were thought to be too vivid. The fresco was covered with a protective cloth to give the paint time to dry. Days later, when the cloth was removed, the colours had softened to the shades of pink and blue and ivory that are so well known to visitors to Mater’s shrine today. To Pauline Perdrau, who became a Religious of the Sacred Heart, the change was nothing less than a miracle.

Among the many stories associated with Pauline Perdrau’s painting of Our Lady is this one: In the fall of 1846, Pope Pius IX paid a visit to Trinità dei Monti and was overwhelmed by the beauty of the fresco of Mary. The pope blessed the painting of Mary under the title “Mater Admirabilis,” thus giving it the title it bears to this day.

Today, a statue or painting of Mater Admirabilis can be found in every Sacred Heart school around the world. You may have seen ours on the steps up to the Boarding House in the Renard Building.

Mater Admirabilis, prayer for us.

Our heritage and traditions | RSCJ.org

Peace and blessings for the week ahead.

 Justin Golding
Dean of Mission

Newsletter Article: Term 4, Week 4 2023

Building connections and community

This week the Year 9 Camp took place at Noosa North Shore facilitated by Total Adventures and supported by our own Stuartholme staff.

Our deepest gratitude extends to our Year 9 Leader of Student Wellbeing, Alison Correia, for overall coordination, and the team of staff who provided invaluable support, including Jen McGrath, Lourdes Rosenstengel, Zoe Sadler, Amanda Moss and Anna Starosta.

Camps and Activity Formation Days, integral components of our Wise Wellness Program, are firmly grounded in evidence linking wellbeing to academic success. At Stuartholme, this commitment is deeply rooted in our Sacred Heart charism.

The value of camps and activity days: what makes so effective

Research unequivocally highlights that learning experiences beyond the classroom setting offer unique opportunities, benefits, and impacts that cannot be replicated in any other educational context. The evidence underscores that students engaging in such experiences with their dedicated teachers gain long-reaching benefits. These experiences not only enhance relationships within the school but also offer a platform to reinforce learning in the following areas:

1. Building community.
2. Raising expectations and standards.
3. Increasing connection.
4. Building culture.
5. Developing positive feelings and memories around school and the outdoors.
6. Fostering student wellbeing.
7. Developing academic resilience and self-confidence.
8. Enhancing engagement with learning.
9. Driving achievement.
10. Building knowledge, skills and understanding in the general capabilities.

Congratulations to our terrific Year 9 students

Our Year 9 students deserve commendation for wholeheartedly embracing the array of challenging outdoor activities, forging new connections with one another, and courageously seizing the opportunity to reinforce their learning.

Blessing for the week ahead.

Elizabeth Foxover

Dean of Student Wellbeing

References:

1. org
2. Essential Kids

• Edutopia

1. Outdooreducationaustralia.org

Newsletter Article: Term 4, Week 4 2023

“Your example, even more than your words, will be an eloquent lesson to the world” –Madeleine Sophie Barat

Seeing our Stuartholme community in action at our annual Sport’s Clinic held in Goondiwindi was once again, an event that all those in attendance will revisit when in need of a smile. At noon on Friday, Staff and a bus full of our beautiful boarders waved farewell to Stuartholme and over the course of the next day, joined together connecting with future parents and boarders. Watching our boarders and staff-guided by the incredible Emma McCarthy- engage the children in rowing and water polo- filled with enthusiasm and encouragement- captured Madeleine Sophie Barat’s beautiful and powerful message, “your example, even more than your words, will be an eloquent lesson to the world.” Seeing the smiles on the faces of the incoming and prospective boarders was priceless and our Stuartholme boarders were outstanding representatives of our community, guiding and supporting all those in attendance. Thank you, girls!

This past week was also a time where our boarding community gathered to enjoy, meditate, stretch and learn valuable strategies to use when feeling stressed. What an honour it is to have Alumnae Nicola Boone, facilitate these Sound Off for Schools sessions, which we enthusiastically have incorporated into our well being program in boarding.

Over the next two weeks, our boarding house will farewell our year 12 boarders. Some have already waved goodbye to the house, venturing home after completing their exams. While our hearts are filled with excitement and happiness for these incredible young women, it is also a time where both staff and boarders feel a great sense of loss as we bid farewell. For these girls, their examples in house have impacted our community in ways that cannot be expressed in words.

We thank you and we love you, year 12s!

Take care everyone,

Jane Morris
Dean of Boarding

Hi folks,

I can’t believe it’s already Week 4! We’re deep in external exams, and halfway through the term already.

I’ve been enjoying spending time with our Year 9 students in Wise Wellness, catching up with Year 12s about their plans, and organising things for our 2024 Hire Education program – more info to come about this soon!

Here is this fortnight’s Careers Mail with some events and opportunities that you/your young people might be interested in. If your young person would like to chat with me about their career ideas and plans, they’re welcome to use the this booking link to find a time that works for them.

Kind regards,

Mr Tom Lillyman

Careers Counsellor

CAREERS MAIL

EXPLORE

Queensland Mathematics Summer School

UQ’s Queensland Mathematics Summer School (QMSS) introduces Year 10 students to the beauty of advanced mathematical ideas and new ways of thinking. Students commencing Year 11 in 2024 who have chosen to study QCE Mathematical Methods and Specialist Mathematics or IB Mathematics (HL or SL) are invited to apply now for the 2024 event. The summer school will be held from 15 January to 18 January 2024 and costs $150. Click here for more information and to register.

Girls in Computing at UQ is here again

The Girls in Computing event at The University of Queensland (UQ) provides an excellent opportunity to discover the exciting and endless career options available in technology, software engineering and computer science.

• Hear from industry leaders and UQ Alumni as they share their experiences and provide advice to the next tech generation.
• Find out about exciting career opportunities available in technology, software engineering and computer science.
• Meet our female students and see what projects they have been working on during the year.
• Find your interests by talking to representatives from student clubs and societies, including UQ LIT (Ladies in Technology), Design Society UQ, UQ Computer Society, UQ Ventures and more.
• Visit information booths tailored for both parents and students – learn more about careers in tech and have your questions answered.
• Get hands-on with fun activities!

When: Wednesday 15 November 2023, 6.00pm–7.30pm

Where: Room 209, General Purpose South (Building 78), The University of Queensland, St Lucia Campus

Register: Register here.

Letz Live Gap Year Webinar

This webinar will introduce you to gap year opportunities available with Letz Live, including working in a boarding school and the hospitality programme. This presentation is open to anyone considering a Gap Year, plus parents who would like more information about our offerings.

When? Thursday 26th October, 6pm AEST (Qld time)

This is a free event but places are limited so please register your interest here.

QUT STEM Intensive applications open

Interested in studying a university subject in Summer, receiving a selection rank adjustment (ATAR bonus point), and gaining potential credit towards a future degree?

The START QUT (STEM Intensive) program is running 8 – 19^th January 2024.  Applications are now open and close 31 October 2023.  There are 4 units on offer this round:

• Design of Computer Systems (Female only)
• Grand Challenges in Science
• Engineering Design and Professional Practise
• Spatial Materiality

Find out more and apply here: https://www.qut.edu.au/study/options/start-qut-stem-intensive

Talk with industry recordings

Are you interested in hearing more from professionals in different health, law and business areas about their uni degrees and transition into work. ACU have recorded a bunch of webinars with past students talking about their journeys from uni to work. Find the recordings here: Talk with Industry Series (acu.edu.au)

UQ Future Rural Doctors: Understand Careers in Medicine

The UQ Rural Clinical School connects regional and rural high school students with opportunities to participate in local programs to build aspirations about medical careers. These programs allow students to meet with medical students studying in regional and rural communities and rural doctors, as well as experience hands-on activities such as suturing, plastering and more! Students will learn what a day in the life of a rural doctor can look like, and what they need to do to get there.

When: Throughout the year (check the Rural Clinical school website for updates)

Duration: 1 day

Location: Rockhampton, Bundaberg, Hervey Bay, Toowoomba and selected rural communities

Who: Students in Year 10-12 nominated by a teacher who demonstrate an interest in a medical career

Cost: Free

bit.ly/ruralmedicine

UQ How (not) to Rule the World: Power, Politics, and Machiavelli’s Renaissance | Winter School

The UQ Western Civilisation Winter School is a two-and-a-half-day residential program that introduces students to key themes in Machiavelli’s The Prince. Since the 16th century, Machiavelli’s landmark treatise has challenged readers to consider the relationship between politics, power, and ethics. Students will explore the treatise and its legacy through a series of lectures, workshops, and hands-on activities. The program is a great opportunity for students to experience university life and what it is like to study Western Civilisation and Humanities at UQ. If your students enjoy reading, writing, or thinking about big ideas, this is the Winter School for them.

When: 24–26 June 2024 Location: St Lucia campus

Who: Year 11–12 students

Cost: Free.

Accommodation and full board during the Winter School are provided. Travel subsidies for students with financial disadvantage and/or who are travelling from over 400 km away from Brisbane are available.

Find out more here: How (not) to Rule the World: Power, Politics, and Machiavelli’s Renaissance (uq.edu.au)

EXPERIENCE

Feed your Mind, Feed the World | Learn about agricultural science in Tasmania

The University of Tasmania is offering science students a first-hand look at the booming Tasmanian agriculture industry with the Feed Your Mind, Feed The World experience. We invite you to share this with your students. Feed Your Mind, Feed The World is a free three-day camp held in Northwest Tasmania on 4-6 December 2023 for year 11 and 12 students wanting to learn about exciting career opportunities in agricultural science.

Students will see first-hand the science behind some of Tasmania’s leading agricultural businesses, including a robotic dairy, commercial flower producer, cider orchard, vegetable processing and more. The University of Tasmania will be providing accommodation, meals and transportation in Tasmania but students would have to arrange their flights to Tasmania at their own expense.

Our staff can collect students from Hobart and Launceston airports. However, due to the location of the camp, we encourage students to fly into Launceston airport. Students can find out more and apply on our Feed Your Mind, Feed The World webpage.

COMPETE

Gerard Mills Wildlife Photography Competition – open to high school students

Open for the first time to high school students, the Gerard Mills Wildlife Photography Competition runs from 1 – 26 October with prizes awarded to winning participants. The competition is a showcase and celebration of the diversity of our wildlife, through photography. Find out more, and enter, here.

SAE FlickerUp youth short film competition

Flickerfest is an Academy Awards® Qualifying and BAFTA Qualifying festival. FLiCKERFEST, Australia’s premier international short film festival, will be held at Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach in January 2024. FlickerUp 2024 competition is an Australian Youth & Schools Competition which screens at Flickerfest and is open to films from students enrolled in secondary schools in Australia and individuals 18 years & under. Films must be under 35mins and completed in the last 2 years. Entries close on Tuesday 7th November 2023 Please email: industry@flickerfest.com.au with any enquiries. Selected films will screen on Saturday 27th January 2024 at the festival at Bondi Beach followed by an award presentation with our jury. Click here for more information and how to enter your film.

GOOD TO KNOW

Work experience and why it matters

Work experience can open up your mind to the great possibilities for your career. You can learn a lot about:

• the workplace you visit
• the types of education and training required to enter different jobs
• how the job might fit within your own life.

Often parents and students think that the purpose of work experience is to assist you to obtain part-time work. But this undervalues work experience as a program to help you explore, develop and refine your career aspirations. So how do you get the most out of work experience? Read about a few points you could consider when considering work experience. If you’d like to undertake some work experience, please reach out to Mrs Reddan or Mrs Somerset to arrange a chat.

Stuartholme School SOD

We are thrilled to announce the commencement of the next phase of the Junior School Building Project, marked by an official sod-turning ceremony on Tuesday afternoon.

For the latest updates on the Year 5 and 6 building project, we encourage you to stay informed by checking our school newsletter and website.

To read more about this exciting announcement, please visit our website Shaping History- SOD turning on the Junior School Building Project – Stuartholme School . You can also view the photos from the afternoon on GeoSnapShot https://geosnapshot.com/e/turning-of-the-sod/23476.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been fascinated with the ancient (maybe mythical) creatures of the waters like the Loch Ness Monster and the Megalodon Shark. About 40 years ago the fossils of a 170-million-year-old ancient marine creature from the age on dinosaurs was discovered and recently identified as the oldest known mega-predatory pilosaur. This finding has added rare knowledge to the evolution and discovery of our world’s oldest sea creatures!

Pliosaurs were a type of plesiosaur with short necks and massive skulls. They appeared over 200 million years ago, but remained minor components of marine ecosystems until suddenly developing into enormous apex predators. The new study shows that this adaptive shift followed feeding niche differentiation and the global decline of other predatory marine reptiles over 170 million years ago.

Lorrainosaurus is the oldest large-bodied pliosaur represented by an associated skeleton. It had jaws over 1.3 m long with large conical teeth and a bulky ‘torpedo-shaped’ body propelled by four flipper-like limbs. “Lorrainosaurus is thus a critical addition to our knowledge of ancient marine reptiles from a time in the Age of Dinosaurs that has as yet been incompletely understood,”

Read more about this Ancient Sea Monster on Science Daily! https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231020182030.htm

Anna Boxall

2023 UQ Science Ambassador

Upcoming Science Opportunities:

CSIRO Virtual Work Experience opportunities

In 2023, the CSIRO virtual work experience program will support students to undertake work experience remotely, providing opportunities for those who may face geographic or other barriers to participating in traditional work experience. It also allows you the opportunity to experience contemporary ways of working, from homes, and with people across geographic boundaries, just as CSIRO scientists do every day.

Virtual work experience allows you to undertake collaborative, group science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) projects, including projects linked to real-world CSIRO research and industry challenges. Instead of attending a CSIRO site, experienced CSIRO staff will supervise groups of students remotely using a secure online platform. The groups will comprise of five to ten students who may be remote from each other and who will work together to complete tasks that can be used as part of portfolios and help inform your study and career plans.

Eligibility

To be eligible to do virtual work experience with CSIRO, students must be:

• in year 10 or 11, and aged 15-17 years for the duration of the work experience
• enrolled in a school in Australia
• able to commit to a designated week between February and December 2023
• be supported by a teacher, parent or other approved adult in their physical location throughout their work experience project.

To apply, follow this link: Apply for Virtual Work Experience – CSIRO

Kind regards,

Mr Timothy Butler

Acting Leader of Learning – Science

Rugby Australia Visit

With international recognition earned at the Rugby Heritage Cup, Pontlevoy, 12 students had the honour of a special visit from Rugby Australia. It was great to have parents and staff join us and to express our appreciation for their time and dedication in making the France trip possible. A big congratulations goes to Mia Townsend, a player who displayed amazing teamwork, on and off the field and who recieved two signed jerseys from Michael Procajlo, General Manager of Community Rugby, Rugby Australia.

Hayley Wilcox makes the U14 Queensland Team

Congratulations to Hayley on her impressive achievement on being selected for the 2024 Queensland U14 Girls Metro Team. We wish her the best of luck in the upcoming Australian U14s Regional Championships in Canberra in January. We will be cheering for you!

Queensland representatives

Congratulations goes to the following students who have represented Queensland and Stuartholme School in their respective sports.

• Gretta Johnson, Phoebe Karamihas and Olivia Williams represented QLD in Cross Country
• Laney Liu  and Erin Mansul  represented QLD in  Gymnastics

The Stuartholme Sports Department are currently pursuing companies who would be interested in a sponsorship package for our representative first teams and coach apparel for the 2024 season. The package would include the sponsor’s logo printed on all First Teams’ Representative and Coaches’ shirts. Based on 2023 numbers, 278 students who competed in Swimming, Cross Country, Athletics, Rowing, AFL, Cricket, Basketball, Touch Football, Soccer, Rugby 7s, Tennis, Water Polo, Netball, Equestrian and Volleyball will be presented a shirt.

Sponsorship is $750 +GST per logo.  

If you would like to explore further details, please refer to our “Sport Sponsorship Proposal 2024” document available here Sport Sponsorship 2024

The Year 8 Geography students recently delved into their studies on the future of cities and were privileged to engage in a discussion with Deputy Mayor Krista Adams and Paddington Ward Councillor Clare Jenkinson. They gained valuable insights into the exciting prospects for Brisbane’s future, which encompass new infrastructure developments and the Games Venue Master Plan in preparation for the 2032 Olympic Games.

A study conducted by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) found that when it comes to financial literacy, only 55% of young female students say they enjoy “learning about money” yet 98% rank “knowing about finance” as important or very important (Thompson, 2015).

One solution to challenging this mindset in Year 10 Economics and Business has been to engage students with the Australian Business Week simulation this term. In 12 small teams, students participate in a computer simulation which gives each team ownership of a single retail store, a small amount of capital and a limited stock of products available for sale.  From the point of takeover, students collaborate to make detailed decisions on a large range of variables including stock purchases, sale prices, wage levels, marketing and choices on investments and loans.  The enthusiasm and quality of discussions generated about each of these decisions, made each lesson, provides evidence of how practical based application of financial literacy adds value for our students.

An important aspect of learning in the simulation is that teams use their knowledge, skills and creativity to come up with solutions and eagerly review the results of their decisions in performance indices and financial reports.  The moments when students realise that their planned business strategies will operate at a loss and then change their business decisions is particularly satisfying to the teachers and students. Sawatsky in his multi-nation analysis of PISA results highlighted that 35% of Australian youth show as having low proficiency in problem solving (Sawatsky, 2016). By contrast, our Economics and Business students have demonstrated their ability to analyse and solve problems as they encounter them, hence gaining confidence as they learn.

Jarod Costantini – Year 10 Economics & Business Teacher  

To RSVP please visit: SSCA Remembrance Mass and Morning Tea – Stuartholme School

To the one who saw more than just a face in the hall,
Who believed in dreams, big and small.
With every lesson, you taught us to see,
Not just the person, but who we could be.

Not just educators, but mentors so true,
Your impact is vast, in shades of every hue.
For the seeds you’ve planted, with care and precision,
Grow beyond the classroom, a lifelong vision.

In gratitude, we stand, our hearts full of elation,
For teachers like you are the backbone of a nation.

Recently, the Year 11 Visual Art in Practice Students were joined by artist Benjamin Reeve from Tuft City who walked them through how to tuft an original artwork rug safely and creatively. Students were able to learn first-hand from the artist who is a pioneer in the Brisbane tufting scene, and recently exhibited and hosted demonstrations at the Craft and Quilt Fair at the Convention Centre. He works out of his Brisbane studio creating artworks and running workshops and we were grateful to be able to secure him for this valuable and practical workshop for students. We are most grateful to the Parents of Stuartholme Committee for generously funding our tufting guns, and providing the Art in Practice students with hands-on experience in the most current trends and technologies in the Visual Art space. The Year 11 Visual Art in Practice students will now embark on designing and creating their own tufted artwork and we can’t wait to see what they come up with!

– Mrs Martinuzzi & Ms Curties

New School Satchels have arrived and they are available for $39. Strong canvas book bags that have plenty of room for your books, a water bottle and lunchbox.

The Swim Shorts have arrived and are available for $65. Swim shorts are to wear over togs or water polo suit for those students who require more coverage.

New House shirts have also arrived. Cost is $42. House shirts will be compulsory for the new Junior School. They are colourful and will certainly stand out.

You can purchase these along with the other products available at our School Shop through Flexischools: https://flexischools.com.au/

If you need a new unform and it to be professionally fitted, book an appointment here: SHS School Shop (office365.com)