In this issue

Last Friday, the Academic Assembly was such a great success and a wonderful celebration of and for our students. As a school that focuses on growth in conjunction with performance, the inclusion of the increase in GPA awards to commence the year was particularly heartening for me. For our school community to see all the 2020 graduates return and celebrate their impressive achievements was terrific. Stuartholme’s clear point of difference is the effective way that we integrate learning and wellbeing to optimise success for every single student.

Outstanding 2020 Results

Students, staff, and parents were buoyed and affirmed by the outstanding academic results of the Class of 2020. These results were no surprise and testament to the intentional strategies in place from a learning and wellbeing perspective, and the impressive quality of teaching and learning at Stuartholme.

ATAR 2020:

• Six students achieved straight A results in all six General subjects and will receive an Academic Commendation from the QCAA
• 18% of students achieved straight A results in five General subjects with no less than a B in their sixth General subject
• Two students achieved 100% scores in two of their subject results (Literature & Visual Art)
• Over 20% of Year 12 students received early university offers

Vocational Education 2020:

• 36% of Year 12 students completed a vocational education qualification comprising 53 qualifications:
  • 26 Diplomas
  • 3 Certificate IVs
  • 11 Certificate IIIs
  • 9 Certificate IIs
  • 4 Certificate Is
• These qualifications were completed in a wide range of industries, including: Agriculture, Automotive, Business, Sport, Fashion, Design, Beauty, Crime and Justice, Music, and Early Childhood Education.

100% of students have been awarded a Queensland Certificate of Education and/or a Queensland Certificate of Individual Achievement and/or a VET Qualification.

A focus on continued educational excellence

As part of gathering data for the next Strategic Plan, a Teaching and Learning Review was led by Pam Hall (Senior School Improvement Reviewer) and John Ryan (former Director of the Queensland College of Teachers). The Review explored the journey in Teaching and Learning from 2017 – 2020 with the view to providing affirmations and recommendations for future directions. The Reviewers identified Stuartholme’s signature strengths in delivering on our core business and identified key priorities to focus on to ensure we remain an educational leader.

Building staff capacity is fundamental to this cause, and our investment as a school in International experts in this space will stand us in good stead moving forward. Staff Professional Learning was enhanced over the past fortnight through small group workshops on Cultures of Thinking with Dr Ron Ritchhart zooming in from the USA and Thrive from the Heart – Positive Education with Dan Haesler. As I telegraphed at the recent Parent Information Evening sessions, these will also be made available to parents, and I encourage you to look out for the invitations to these.

Best wishes,

Daniel Crump
Deputy Principal

Ash Wednesday and Lent 

Last Wednesday was Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, the 40 day journey to Easter. As an invitation to repentance, which means a change of heart for the better, these 40 days have traditionally been a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving – a time to do without, so that others can have more, and a time to pray with increased fervour to deepen our relationship with God. Our faith teaches us that these are the ingredients that enable a change of heart, where we place the needs of others before our own in solidarity, for justice and dignity, so that our change of heart becomes a way of life beyond the 40 days of Lent. 

Starting our year with Liturgy 

 It is customary for our community to celebrate Ash Wednesday with liturgy, where we are marked with the sign of ashes. This year, due to the early start of lent, we combined our Ash Wednesday Liturgy with our Opening Mass. 

The celebration of the Eucharist, or Mass, is an important part of Catholic life. The word Eucharist means thanksgiving. When we celebrate the Mass we are participating in a thanksgiving celebration. We give thanks for all that has been given to us by God, particularly the gift that is Jesus. For this reason, the celebration of the Eucharist is an essential aspect of our school life, and is our way of marking the important moments throughout the year. 

Our Sacred Heart 

One of the beautiful rituals of our Opening Mass is the procession of Year 7 and Year 12 students, led by Ms Kristen Sharpe, Principal and our Cor Unum. A 2021 addition to this ritual is the placing the names of all people in our community into our new Sacred Heart. This new symbolic act is connected to a long tradition of the church from the time of our foundress, St Madeleine Sophie. The Sacred Heart was a stunning gift from our 2020 Year 12 cohort and is a permanent reminder of our school motto Cor unum et anima una in corde Jesu, which means One heart and one mind in the heart of Jesus. 

There is a beautiful alignment between the start of Lent, the opening of our school year and our annual goal of personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom. Each of these celebrations is about reflecting on our lives with the desire to embrace a new beginning with the invitation to grow. No matter what has been before, each offers us a chance to start again and look to the future with hope. 

What difference will this time of lent mean for your life this year? 

Peace and blessings for the week ahead. 

Justin Golding
Dean of Mission

The weeks seem to move at an extraordinary pace, which is most probably true with all the wonderful activities that the girls are involved in at any one time.

With the rhythm of school being very much in place we have girls trying out for a variety of sports, including tennis, swimming and touch football. At the end of the day there is always someone going somewhere, so the life of a Boarder is one of adventure and business. This is then accompanied by our wonderful Recreation Program which has seen and will see the girls having a variety of opportunities to attend evening outings to places like Eat Street Markets, a day trip to Coolum Water Park or a formal dinner hosted by Nudgee College. These events are also accompanied by us hosting pool afternoons with both Boarders from Marist and Nudgee. The girls can surely not complain about not having a full social calendar.

Our world in the afternoons on a Monday to Thursday ensures that sustained effort is given to a study regime that will assist your daughters to engage fully in their academic pursuits. The accompaniment of the girls in this is ably supported by the Boarding Supervisors as well as some Tutors to assist with specific skill development and understanding. Year 7 – 11 students are operating downstairs for first study, and we have A Team Tuition working with our Year 7 and 8 students and all our new students from Year 9 to 11 to develop their skills in this area. Year 11 students are studying upstairs during second study to allow the development of their own individual rhythm to study and their endeavours. Year 12 girls will study upstairs for all of their allocated study time. Stuartholme School Boarders continue to have access to the program called Study Samurai available for all Boarders under the Boarding tile on the myStuartholme page. This resource is full of support to development specific skills that will assist the girls in not only setting up the basics of good study habits and routines,  but will also engage them on how to manage their time, to work with their mindset and also wellbeing.

We have been looking at the running tracks around the school and ensuring that our girls will be able to run safely during daylight hours. We have asked that younger girls go in groups of three, either for walking or running and although there are many benefits of being alone and having that time be oneself, we are conscious that safety is paramount. Our older girls in Years 11 and 12 are asked to go with at least one other person or through discussion and consent from their parent will be allowed to run or walk by themselves.

Finally End of Term Leave requests are due by the end of Week 6 – Friday 5^th March. Could I please ask parents to support us in this major task of ensuring that all girls are able to return home for the holidays and that we are aware of the arrangements. End of Term 1 this year falls in the week of Easter. We have a very busy week with our Year 12 Formal now occurring on Wednesday 31^st March and this also the last day of classes for all students. Thursday 1^st April will be our Boarder travel day for the end of term. We would ask that all Boarders conclude their term in Boarding by 12 noon on the last day of each term. We also would like our families to know that Boarding will be open on the first day of each Term from 12 noon as well. Obviously if circumstances require other arrangements, we will be more than happy to assist our families. First day back for Term 2 is Monday 19^th April with day classes commencing on Tuesday 20^th April.

Take care,

Karen Davies
Dean of Boarding

Creating the atmosphere to optimise student success

It was delightful to participate in the Academic Assembly on Friday and celebrate the achievements of our students. Our outstanding 2020 results are testimony to the effective way that Stuartholme integrates learning and wellbeing to optimise success for every student.

Data clearly suggests that students who thrive and flourish, demonstrate stronger academic performance (McKenna, 2019). The evidence shows students with high wellbeing:

• gain higher grades and lower rates of absence (Suldo, Thalji & Ferron 2011, ACU 2008)
• have higher self-control and lower procrastination (Howell 2009); and
• are more creative and open-minded in their thinking (Fredrickson & Branigan 2005).

The supportive and challenging school atmosphere that we create at Stuartholme is foundational to this success.

This was celebrated by the school community last Friday under the fine leadership of our 2021 Cor Unum Committee who arranged a Special Valentine’s Day ‘Dance Off Friday”. The Cor Unum is their messaging to the student body challenged every student to remember, that the quality of relationships matter, and encouraged them to invest time and energy into cultivating deep bonds and respectful relationships. Specific examples of how to show respect to others were included and information about why respectful relationships are important as they:

• contribute to your growth, maturity and sense of self-confidence
• promote healthy self-expression and awareness of yourself and others
• enable you to feel accepted, positive and free to be yourself.

The Cor Unum inspired the entire school community to embrace these qualities in daily actions in 2021 in concert with their theme to  Grow Your Own Way this year, guided by a million hearts.

The Stuartholme Way – Stand up to Bullying!

Stuartholme’s very strong and positive school culture promoting positive relationships is also sustained by clear policy.

To make this policy accessible to students, we proudly display The Stuartholme Way – Stand up to Bullying! statement in every Teacher Mentor Group room.  This statement articulates what bullying is and provides advice about the role every girl can play in continuing to create a safe and happy school environment.

The Student Representative Council remain a key forum for consultation on action to be taken in this space. Based on their advice, The Stuartholme Way – Stand Up to Bullying electronic mailbox was established and is located at standuptobullyingatstuartholme.com to deal discreetly with any reports. Anonymous reports cannot be accepted. A real mailbox is also located in Student Reception.

Deb Lonsdale-Walker
Dean of Student Wellbeing

References

1. Fredrickson & Branigan 2005. “Positive emotions broaden the scope of attention and thought-action repertoires”. HHS Author Manuscripts.
2. Howell, 2009. “Flourishing: Achievement-related correlates of students’ well-being”. The Journal of Positive Psychology (4) 1.
3. McKenna, 2019, Making Wellbeing Practical. Brisbane: Epub.
4. Suldo, Thalji & Ferron 2011 “Longitudinal academic outcomes predicted by early adolescents’ subjective well-being, psychopathology, and mental health status yielded from a dual factor model”. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 6(1), 17–30.

Hi everyone,

Happy Week 4. How the term is flying by!

It’s been a nice busy fortnight catching up with senior students one-on-one and in groups.

Year 12 Wise Wellness

It was lovely to see Year 12 students in Wise Wellness this fortnight for a digital scavenger hunt and a good talk about getting set for the year.

Year 12 Boarders: Strategy session

I’ve also had the pleasure of catching up with Year 12 boarders to talk about things that boarders should know when planning life after school – like applying to study before a gap year, scholarships and bursaries, adjustment factors, and different accommodation options.

Year 12 UCAT & medicine/dentistry session

And this week I ran a lunchtime stUCAT: Understanding UCAT and different pathways to medicine and dentistry session for interested Year 12 students. This was a great opportunity to explain some of the different entry points and requirements for medicine and dentistry programs in Australia, and to stress the importance of UCAT for most programs. Off the back of this, we’ll be running a short practice UCAT in a couple of weeks’ time!

New event: Food for Thought networking breakfast

I’m also really excited to kick off a new event next Wednesday morning called Food for Thought. Food for Thought is an opportunity for Year 11 and 12 students to connect with young alumnae over breakfast and ask all their burning questions about life after school, studying, working, and different career paths.

We’ll be joined at our first event by young alumnae with all different job titles: Occupational Therapist, Business Analyst, Construction Cadet, Doctoral Researcher, Small Business Owner, Recruitment Consultant, and Senior Strategy Advisor. I’ll be sharing profiles of our lovely alumnae with senior students today, and I’m looking forward to seeing interested Year 11 and 12 students for breakfast and some meaningful conversation next Wednesday!

As always, please find below a selection of opportunities, events and information that you and your daughters might find interesting. You can find more information and resources on the Careers page of my.Stuartholme.

Warm regards,

Mr Tom Lillyman
Careers Counsellor

EXPLORE

Career planning podcasts

Want to learn more about what people do all day in their jobs? These podcasts could help!

Binge Thinking – Binge Thinking is a fortnightly show where host Caspar Roxburgh has a chat to guests who are all under 35 years of age about who they are, what they do and how they see the world.

Working – Each episode is an interview with a professional about what they do all day.

Starving Artist – How do creative types do what they do and pay the bills? This podcast aims to find out.

Startup – This podcast is for those who are keen to get their own business off the ground.

The new look myfuture website

The myfuture website has recently been re-designed. It looks a little different but is just as helpful ever!

2021 TSXPO Tertiary Studies Expo

The 2021 TSXPO is on again – Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 July 2021 from 10am – 4pm. This is a great chance to meet representatives from lots of different education providers, including interstate universities like UNSW, University of Sydney, University of Melbourne, University of Wollongong, University of Tasmania, University of New England and more! See a full list of exhibitors here.

EXPERIENCE

Join the YMCA Youth Parliament

Are you interested in community issues, social justice and advocating for change? Then you might be interested in joining the YMCA Queensland Youth Parliament (QYP). Nominations for the 2021 program are now open and can be made via the YMCA QYP website.

UQ Careers that Shape the World event

Careers that Shape the World is an opportunity for students in Year 11 and 12 to hear about different careers directly from experts (both industry and academics). Register for seminars that interest you and learn more what different people do and why they love it. The final program is in the works. Learn more, and register, here.

Write for Scratch That magazine

Scratch That magazine publishes original work to showcase the burgeoning talents of QUT students. This year, high school students have the opportunity to submit their creative writing works.

Each student submission will receive feedback and advice on their writing provided by the Scratch That team, even if it hasn’t been selected to be published. Vibrant written pieces such as short stories, excerpts, memoirs, interviews, poetry, non-fiction work and reviews up to 2,500 words or a maximum of five poems can be submitted.

Find out more here.

UQ FEAST 2021

What is FEAST? UQ’s Future Experiences in Agriculture, Science and Technology (FEAST). FEAST is a four-day residential program at UQ Gatton where you can learn more about science careers in the agriculture, animal, plant and food industries. It’s open to students in years 11 and 12 and UQ are now accepting expressions of interest for the 2021 FEAST. Click here for more information.

GOOD TO KNOW

Applying to Australian National University (ANU)

If you’re in Year 12 and interested in applying to ANU, it’s good to know that direct applications for ANU courses, scholarships and accommodation open in March – much earlier than all other universities. To get prepared, you might want to read more about the application process here.

CSP & HECS-HELP

It’s good to know that if you apply to a publicly-funded university (like UQ, QUT, Griffith, ACU, USC, USQ or JCU, for example), you should be offered a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) in your course. A CSP is a place where part of your fees are paid by the government, and you only pay a ‘student contribution’ amount instead of the full cost of the course.

The Commonwealth Government has several financial assistance programs to help you meet the cost of your tertiary education. The HECS-HELP scheme is one of these programs. HECS-HELP is a loan scheme for eligible students studying in Commonwealth Supported Places at university. Through this scheme, you can defer payment of your student contribution amount until you’re earning a certain salary/year (called the ‘compulsory repayment threshold’). You can then repay your loan through the taxation system.

It’s also important to know that there is a cap on the amount on money you can put on Higher Education Loan Programs (HELP), like HECS-HELP. The cap is about $100,000 for most courses, and around $150,000 for medicine, veterinary science and dentistry courses.

For more information about HECS-HELP, check out the Study Assist website.

On Thursday morning Facebook pulled Australian news content from the site, blocking users from sharing news and in the process blocking a range of non-news based sites including some schools.

Stuartholme will continue to post news via Facebook, however if you find you can no longer see any posts on our site, please be assured we will continue to share news and updates via MyStuartholme.

Welcome to the first science snippets article for 2021. Our Year 11 UQ Science Ambassadors contribute to the newsletter each fortnight informing our community on current scientific research and events from Australia and the world. The article also includes information for our community on upcoming Science opportunities and events. This year we have three dedicated Year 11 students who will work together as ambassadors. This program challenges students to develop their leadership abilities and communication skills and offers them the chance to connect with likeminded students across Queensland. The ambassadors for 2021 are Caitlin Forbes, Hannah Cioccarelli and Ashley Rolfe.

The Year 12 Biology girls had an excursion on Monday 8^th February to the rock platform at Shelly Beach, Caloundra. They enjoyed the experience of working together as teams to collect data (using a line transect and quadrat) on the abundance of organisms and their distribution across the zones in this ecosystem. I hope you enjoy some photos of their day.

Click on a photo to start gallery

Upcoming events:

World Science Festival (https://www.worldsciencefestival.com.au/) is taking place in Brisbane on March 24 – 28^th. The program is out now and tickets (free and $) for a wide range of events is available. A positive from last year’s cancelled festival and our learning to work on online is that there will be more of the program this year available online, with new livestreaming options and more.

Year 10 students – Brain Bee Challenge. If you enjoyed learning about the brain and the nervous system last year in Year 9 Science, then this challenge may be just what you are looking for.

The Australian Brain Bee Challenge (ABBC) is a competition for high school students in year 10 to learn about the brain and its functions, learn about neuroscience research, find out about careers in neuroscience and to dispel misconceptions about neurological and mental illnesses.  See About the Brain Bee Challenge – Australasian Neuroscience Society Inc (ans.org.au) and get in touch with me and I will help with registration.

Year 9 and 10 students – any interest in a Zoom presentation: Tuesday 23^rd March (10 – 11.30am, Week 9)

Questacon – The National Science and Technology Centre and The Embassy of the United States of America, Canberra invite you and your students to participate in an inspiring presentation by space roboticist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Dr Vandana Verma. Vandana is a team member of the NASA Perseverance Rover Mission that is scheduled to land in the Jezero Crater on Mars on 19 February 2021 (AEST). Perseverance is NASA’s fifth rover mission to Mars and will spend at least one Mars year (two Earth years) exploring the landing site region.

Vandana drives Mars rovers. She has been driving the Curiosity rover on Mars, and controlling its robotic arm and sampling mechanisms, since 2012. Curiosity remains active today. She is particularly interested in robotics and space flight software, and is currently group leader of Autonomous Systems, Mobility and Robotic Systems at NASA JPL. Vandana is a passionate science communicator who inspires and encourages children, especially young women, into STEM careers. She was born in Halwara, India and is a qualified pilot.

NASA’s major areas of study are the Earth, Moon, Sun and the planets of our solar system as well as the universe beyond. NASA has announced a mission to land on the Moon by 2024, followed by a second mission to establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028.

I will be sending out an email to Year 9 and 10 students next week seeking interest in this presentation. However, please note that students with scheduled assessment will not be able to attend.

Kind regards,

Wendy Macdonald
Leader of Learning – Science

As many of you would be aware, our Open Day is being held on Saturday 13 March from 10.00am until 1.00pm. Many girls will be required to assist on the day across a wide area of the School – academic, hosting tours and co-curricular.

Staff will be asking girls for their assistance across particular areas or to attend for specific sessions. We ask for your support in making the girls available to assist as required on this important day in our school calendar.

Stuartholme’s Open Day is the school’s largest event giving an opportunity for future parents to feel the warmth of Stuartholme’s community. The last few years has seen approx. 1000 visitors.

To assist the school in this community event, we are inviting parents to volunteer for the Parents of Stuartholme BBQ.  We are seeking around 20+ parents to work a 2-hour shift, 9:30-11:30 or 11:30 to 1:30pm on Open Day.  If these times do not suit you, any time you are able to give a hand would be appreciated.

A few parents would be required to offer sausages & water to the many staff and students in classrooms unable to leave their area.

Please can you email pos@stuartholme.com your name, email address and a time suitable for you to assist us on the day.

If you would like to assist us, though can’t help on Open Day.  You might like to consider helping with packing 500 bags and prepare a supply of prospectus to be handed out on Open Day.  We need around 8-10 parents from 8:30am to approx. 10:30am.  If you have 1 hour to give, this would be a great assistance.  This working bee is on Tuesday 9^th March in the School’s boardroom and morning tea will be available.

If you are able to assist us, please email pos@stuartholme.com your name, email address and your availability.

In great appreciation,

Sonia Gervais
(Parent Liaison Co-ordinator – Parents of Stuartholme)

We are excited to have launched our ‘Defining Sacred Heart education’ campaign. We believe the education received at Stuartholme is more than academic excellence, it’s an education that leaves its mark and creates confident, exciting futures. If you haven’t seen it, we invite you to click here and watch the first of our ‘Defining Education’ videos.

Opening Mass and Ash Wednesday Liturgy

Our musicians were honoured to perform at the School’s Opening Mass and Ash Wednesday Liturgy on 17 February.

The Chapel was filled with staff, students and special guests, including Mr Peter Pritchard, Board Chair of Sophia Education Ministries and his wife Maree. I was extremely proud of the music students and their professional performances which never fail to add to the beauty of these occassions.

Welcome to Music Weekend – Friday 19, Saturday 20 February and Sunday 21 February

Friday 19 February 3.30 – 5.30pm (Jazz Band and Joigny Philharmonic only)

Saturday 20 February 8.30am – 9.00pm and Sunday 21 February 8.30am – 1.00pm  all musicians will be involved!

Musicians are: Joigny String Orchestra, Sinfonietta, Concert Band, Joigny Voices, Duchesne Voices (Year 7/8 Choir), Joigny Philharmonic Orchestra, Jazz Band Music Polo shirt with jeans and closed in shoes held at Stuartholme School

Congratulations to the students who made a ‘Firsts’ team for 2021

AFL

Water polo

Year 9 Business students are studying the topic of Entrepreneurs this term.  A number of guest speakers from our community have been invited to share their experiences with our students.  Leanne DeMartini, mother of Lara (Yr 12) and Mia (Yr 11) was kind enough to speak to our students this week about the story of her business “Thousand Island Dressing”.

Leanne’s passion, willingness to take risks and see opportunities even in adversity was inspirational.  We were also impressed by her commitment to local artists and be an example of optimism and women who support women. “Please know that there is no such thing as failing, it is just an opportunity to reflect and grow”.  Thank you Leanne for being a part of our learning program.  Thank you also for our friendship bracelets in Stuartholme colours!

If your daughter can speak and write a language other than English, we encourage her to consider sitting for the Senior External Language Examinations that takes place in October/November 2021. Results may contribute four semester units for the calculation of her ATAR.

If she achieves at least a Sound achievement, it will also provide her with 4 credits towards the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) and she will be eligible for 2 adjustment factors (2 bonus points) towards her ATAR in most Queensland universities including the University of Queensland , Queensland University of Technology and Griffith University (for most programs).

Languages available are Arabic, Korean, Modern Greek, Indonesian, Polish, Punjabi,  Russian, Vietnamese and Chinese.

An expression of interest needs to be registered by contacting the VET Coordinator before April 30. A fee of $68.15 applies.

An information meeting for students is scheduled on Thursday February 25 at morning tea in the Career/VET office. Please encourage your daughter to attend if you think she might be interested.

Laurence Somerset
Vocational Education Coordinator

lsomerset@stuartholme.com