吃瓜网

Acknowledgement of Country

From the Principal

Thank you to the many parents and caregivers who made time for a Parent/Student/Teacher Learning Review over the last fortnight. These conversations are an important part of developing shared understandings of how each learner is travelling and informing our next steps. One of the reasons we seek to keep the student at the centre of these reviews is that we respect and value the sense of agency that our children and young people have over their own learning. In a recent publication, Hannon and Peterson define agency as:

• Developing goals (personal and social)
• Initiating action towards those goals
• Reflecting on and regulating progress towards those goals
• Belief in self-efficacy.[1]

They suggest that agency is one individual outcome that is both under-developed and critical to thriving in a transforming world. When students, parents and teachers put their heads together to discuss learning, there is huge potential to increase each student’s motivation and sense of self-efficacy as learners.

National Careers Week was another chance for our students to develop agency, to consider possible pathways that they might follow beyond school and to speak to people who pursue those careers. At an early age, children begin to formulate their own conceptions of different jobs and it is important that we provide them with a broad landscape to enhance their thinking. We are grateful to our Careers Counsellor, Julie Stephenson, whose incredible creativity and energy have supported so many students in finding their “thing”! Students right across the College were able to engage in a wide range of activities, from the Careers Expo to dressing up in various costumes, that would spark their interest and open their minds to new possibilities. We are also very grateful to the many businesses, industry and tertiary representatives who came along to share their enthusiasm for their own careers with our young people. As our Year 10 students finalise their preparation for Work Experience in Week 8, we see that student agency is central to successful learning about the world of work.

Last week, the Merit Ceremonies for outstanding Stage 2 results from 2021 took place at Government House. Whilst the format was somewhat different this year, it was wonderful for the students and their families to have the chance to celebrate the hard work and dedication that led to their achievement of the highest possible results in each subject area. Congratulations to all the SAC students and graduates who received awards.

At our first whole school assembly for the year this week, our main focus was to acknowledge National Sorry Day and mark the beginning of National Reconciliation Week. We were welcomed to country by Ngangki Warra in a moving smoking ceremony. We celebrated the respectful relationships that we enjoy at 吃瓜网 with First Nations’ students and their families. Their wisdom and guidance have enabled us to plan for the meaningful actions that we have undertaken as part of our Reconciliation Action Plan this year. We are committed to working bravely together to close the gaps and achieve a shared sense of justice and fairness in our school and in our world. We celebrate how lucky we are to live in a country that belongs to one of the oldest civilisations on earth and we find ways to walk gently together. Many of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander graduates are now leaders in the world beyond school, and we are both proud of their achievements and grateful that they chose to be educated at SAC. Thank you to everyone who will participate in National Reconciliation Week. With our Mercy values of respect and justice in our hearts, we hope to make this week the next step in an important journey of reconciliation for our school.

Ms Paddy McEvoy
Principal

[1] Valerie Hannon and Amelia Peterson, Thrive: The Purpose of Schools in a Changing World

Thriving People Day - A day full of learning and cultural experiences

As we prepare for National Reconciliation Week our Primary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students participated in the Thriving People Day organised through Catholic Education SA. This event is an opportunity for students to participate in cultural experiences such as learning about bush tucker, storytelling and weaving. Led by members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, these experiences allow students to connect with their peers in cultural activities. The girls within this group constantly demonstrate their strong and capable leadership, and the Thriving People experience builds on those talents and skills.

May is History Month!

May is History Month, however students and teachers don’t need an excuse to indulge in their passion for history. Being part of the rich heritage of a college established in 1880, history at SAC is ever-present and very much part of the curriculum.

History is alive and well in the classroom! Currently students are studying ancient cultures at Yr 7, Medieval societies at Yr 8, WW1 at Yr 9, a history of Civil Rights in Yr 10, Ancient Rome at Yr 11 with our senior students covering the Cold War and Greek Religion; so we have the world covered.

Developing important skills in historical perspective, analysis of sources, historical empathy, essay writing and indulging their imaginations, to name a few, history is an invaluable subject for any aspiring citizen of the world. After all, as George Santayana, in the 1905 The Life of Reason, said, "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Student reflections:

"In History this term we are focusing on Word War 1. We are now writing an essay about the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the impacts it had on the war. The question we have to consider is whether World War 1 would have still occurred if he wasn’t assassinated. We have been having many lively, but healthy discussions and have had the chance to gain many important skills such as implementing primary sources into our work and learning how to write proper essays to be prepared for the many essays to come. It has been vital to our ability to express our opinions with proper examples, evidence and articulated language." Balsar Mosleh  9JV

"Ancient Studies is helping me see the great Greek thinkers, such as Aristotle and Plato, in a different light.  By delving deeper into the source material, it is clear that their writings reflect the patriarchal society of the time – that level of bias hadn’t occurred to me before!" Amelia Milburn 12CE

Ms Carolyne Williams
HASS Coordinator

Congratulations to our awarded 'Young Historians'

The National History Challenge

The National History Challenge is a research-based competition for Australian students from Year 1 right up to Year 12. It gives students a chance to be historians, researching world history, examining Australia’s past, investigating their community or exploring their own roots. Each year there is a different theme for the competition; last year was Significance: History Matters, and we had three students from SAC who entered the competition and were awarded prizes.

Students can address the topic in a broad range of ways according to their own interests, or address a specific category that could include Australian Wartime Experiences, Democracy, History of Sport, Indigenous History, Australian Woman’s History, Asia and Australia, and Using Primary Sources.

Crystal and Isabella should be congratulated in achieving a Silver Award for their participation in the National History Challenge, which means that they were selected as finalists to proceed to National Judging.

With an essay examining Rosie the Riveter – the “We Can Do It” woman – and her ability to increase female workplace participation, challenge traditional gender roles, and influence future generations, Charlotte won the Year 10 category for the whole of South Australia! Charlotte says, “Participating in the competition was such a great experience and I highly recommend it to any students who have an interest in history or academic writing to enter the competition this year. The process of researching, source analysis, and writing this essay has helped me develop skills and knowledge that I have used in my Year 11 Research Project.”

Any students who wish to enter the 2022 competition, with the theme of “Causes and Consequences”, should speak with their History teacher.

A visit to an Adelaide eco-village

The Year 8JT Geography students are currently researching liveability in megacities and will be turning their attention in the next few weeks to considering how to improve liveability in Adelaide. To prepare them to play the role of urban planners, the class visited Christie Walk eco-village in Sturt Street to learn about sustainable living and how cities can be transformed into ecologically sustaining and economically viable communities. The girls’ reflected on their visit:

“I enjoyed looking at all the ecological housing, greenery and the bees, and seeing what our future could look like”

“It was very inspiring to see how people made small changes in their life which makes it sustainable”

“In the apartment building there was a strong sense of community”

“I liked the different ways of preserving energy (heating and cooling), by using materials such as hay bales and hebel blocks to build houses”

糖 葫 芦 (Tang hu lu)

Last week students in the Year 11 Chinese class made Chinese street food 糖 葫 芦 (tang hu lu) also known as candied hawthorn or candied fruit. The girls were keen to share this recipe with the wider community. Here is the recipe that was used:

• Sugar 糖
• Strawberry 草莓
• Grapes 葡萄
• Iced Water 冰水 兵

Materials

• Skewer 竹签
• Plate 盘子盘子
• Pan 锅
• Tongs 夹子
• Spoon 勺子

Ms Shuhong Li
Chinese Teacher

From the Careers Department

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

―&苍产蝉辫;Confucius

National Careers Week

As we reflect upon the range of activities provided during National Careers Week, we are thankful for the involvement of our whole school community, old scholars, presenters, and many external organisations. The excitement of primary students echoed through the Undercroft as they ?participated in teamwork activities requiring thought, creativity, communication, and attention to detail. Meanwhile, Reception students paraded proudly in their occupational attire, and Year 1 and 2 students were captivated by story time and the chance to explore the work of a Botanist! Year 7 and 8 students were treated to an interactive presentation from Libby Trainor Parker about social media and the importance of positive branding and were thrilled to mingle with a star from the Adelaide Fringe!

The SAC Careers Expo filled the Undercroft for students from Years 9-12 with 25 providers sharing information and advice about vocational and tertiary study, as well as occupational pathway options and employment insights. Spot the robotic dog was a particular favourite as he moved around the expo! It was fantastic to host a number of old scholars as employment and study advocates, and we remain grateful for the time and commitment of all who attended. We would like to acknowledge the following organisations with thanks:

UniSA, Flinders University, Adelaide University, TAFE SA, SAPOL, Defence Force, ICHM, Le Cordon Bleu, Queensford College, Adelaide Institute of Business and Technology, Tabor College, Clipjoint Education, CDW Studios, SAIBT, Academy of Interactive Entertainment, Media Makeup, MTA, Salford College, Tilbrook Rasheed, Sarah Constructions Pty, Rising Sun Pictures, Robert Bird Group Engineering, HerTechPath Inc, GHD, SA Power Networks

Defence Force Leadership Seminar

Congratulations to Year 11 student Prefei and to Year 10 student Abbie who were selected to attend the Defence Force Leadership Seminar on 13 May. It was a wonderful day which included presentations, workshops and group activities focusing on values, communication, positive thinking, planning and resilience. There was also time to talk to current serving members of the Navy, Army and Air Force to learn about roles and leadership opportunities. Prefei and Abbie worked collaboratively with students from other schools and were wonderful advocates of 吃瓜网.

Ms Julie Stephenson
Careers & VET Coordinator

Wear it YELLOW Day!

As part of National Reconciliation Week in Week 5, on Friday 3 June SAC are hosting a Wear it Yellow Day!

The day is aimed at raising funds for a First Nations organisation, Children’s Ground.

The National Reconciliation Week 2022 theme, “Be Brave. Make Change.” is a challenge to all Australians— individuals, families, communities, organisations and government—to Be Brave and tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation so we can Make Change for the benefit of all Australians. That is why our school has chosen to participate in Children’s Ground’s ‘Wear It Yellow’ day.

Every student in the school will be provided with a Yellow Ribbon to wear on the day and are encouraged to bring a gold coin donation.

Please watch the video below to find out more information of Children’s Ground, and what we are fundraising for.

Dr Mike Bossley speaks with Stage 2 Digital Technology students

Dr Mike Bossley has been active in research, activism, and environmental education nationally and internationally for fifty years and has been studying the Port River Dolphins for more than 25 years. Mike came to speak to Stage 2 Digital Technology students about his non-invasive field research which has monitored and named about 30 to 40 resident dolphins that live in the Port River and has now identified more than 400 dolphins that have visited the area.

Students reflect:

“It was inspirational to see and hear how motivated he was about dolphins, especially for studying them for such a long time”. Mya A’Hang

“It was fascinating to hear how Mike identifies each dolphin by their fins, how he splits them into 4 quadrants and records the unique divots to identify the dolphins”. Sienna Rosenbauer

“I liked the ethical discussion about non-invasive versus invasive methods of data collection. If invasive methods are used for data collection and are highly likely to benefit the dolphins, should they be used, or not? I think that it would be best to use invasive methods if the outcome is to save more dolphins in the future. I also want to say, the session was really cool!” Siddhi Ahuja

Students aim to utilise knowledge gained from this experience in an upcoming data analytics assignment where they will use a range of data-collection tools, techniques, and methods to extract and interpret data sets on the Port Adelaide region. Then using their programming skills, they hope to develop a digital solution to solve a problem of interest.

Dr Mike Bossley has recently published a book called Dolphins, Whales and Me, which can be purchased online.

“ This book describes Mike’s epiphany watching dolphins bodysurfing with humans and goes on to describe his work in helping stop whaling in Australia and then reducing it worldwide, and how, as one of the founders of Greenpeace International, he helped the organisation evolve from a scattered band of eco-anarchists into the most powerful environmental organisation of the twentieth century” ( )

Ms Joanne Villis
Digital Technologies Coordinator

From the Music Department

Towards the end of last term, the Music Department held its annual Music Camp for secondary ensembles. Although we couldn’t head off to Belair as usual, the ‘day camp’ held at school enabled students to come together to develop their musical skills and collaborate with other students across year levels.

Ensembles had the chance to spend quality time rehearsing and then enjoy some fantastic and fun activities organised by the Senior Music Leaders. These included a talent show, fashion parade, quiz night and scavenger hunt around the school. Dinner on Friday night was provided by Daisy Burgers and proved to be a hit with all!

The camp finished up on Saturday afternoon with a concert to each other, providing a great opportunity to listen to other ensembles, and appreciate other styles of music performed in the Music Department.

Sophia Smith, Emily Crocker (Music Leaders) and Ms Fiona Turner (Music Coordinator)

R-9 Instrumental/Vocal Sunday Soirée

Is your child currently in Reception - Year 9 and enrolled in private music lessons? Then don’t miss this fantastic opportunity to see them perform in our R-9 Sunday Soirée! 

The St 吃瓜网 Music Department are delighted to announce that we will be hosting three concerts on Sunday 26 June, at 10am, 12:30pm and 3pm. The concerts will feature various instrumental and singing performances from a selection of our private music tuition students. If your child is currently enrolled in private music lessons and is interested in performing at one of the concerts on the day, please discuss this with your child’s music tutor or contact the Music Department at [email protected] 

SAC Wonderful Speakers

Congratulations to a group of wonderful speakers across different years levels. Last week the Year 7 SAC Debating Purple team won their first round on the debate night. They were the affirmative team for the topic of 'Swooping magpies should be culled'. Not an easy topic! Also, five students, across Years 8 to 12, competed in the Rostrum Voice of Youth Speaking Competition, talking about a range of topics including an unhealthy attachment to mobile phones, the plight of the Uighurs in China, eating disorders, social anxiety and connection to country. Each student spoke with clarity, confidence, and conviction.

Hands-on at Year 11 Biology

The Year 11 Biology students have been hands-on dissecting fish this term. They’ve observed the structures involved in in breathing. It’s great to see our students engaging in their Biology pracs with so much curiosity and enthusiasm!

Come along to Year 10 Drama Night!

ALL STUDENTS?& PARENTS are invited to come along to Year 10 Drama Night on

Thursday 2 June (Week 5) at 6:30 pm in the Drama Theatre!

Watch a trio of talented performances, destined to fill your night with fun! Gold coin donation at the door. See you then! 

'Getting the Looks' in The Advertiser’s Sunday Mail

Year 10 student Trinity reflects on her journey to pursue a modelling career -

thanks for sharing your story trinity!

"I started modelling in June of last year, so I am still fairly new to the industry. The agency I was initially with was unfortunately not getting me any work so I began the search for a more reliable and supportive agency. After a nearly one year of building a portfolio, experience in front of? a camera and knowledge of the modelling industry, I was scouted by my current agency, The Models. I was offered a contract and I signed with them in February of this year and finally achieved my dream of booking my first modelling job! The job was for The Advertiser’s Sunday Mail and it felt awesome to finally be recognised and published after months of hard work! The photoshoot was amazing, I felt so privileged and grateful to be able to wear the beautiful clothes and accessories. It felt surreal to see myself in a two page spread of the Sunday Mail, as well as the back cover! Although the beginning of my modelling experience was rocky, I am happy that my hard work finally paid off, and now I am regularly booking jobs! I have a strong and nurturing agency who I am super grateful for as they continuously support me in my modelling dream."

“Family Tree”, by Josh Pyke and Ronojoy Ghosh

Our junior primary classes celebrated National Simultaneous Storytime by joining thousands of children all around the country reading the same book at the same time. “Family Tree”, by Josh Pyke and Ronojoy Ghosh was shared through a colourful visual representation by a group of Year 3 students. Our younger students enjoyed being read this story of family, growth and change, and celebrating the seasons of life.

REGISTER HERE TO JOIN US!