Welcome to the first edition of The Spirit for 2022! It has been a very unusual start to our College year. Today is our last day of our Learning at Home program. We have been pleased with the high level of engagement of our students in Years 8 - 12 with their lessons. Congratulations to our students on a great start. I am very proud of you! I am looking forward to seeing you on Monday.
The Year 7 students collected their laptops before the Australia Day Holiday and have been involved in a special “on-line” transition program this week. Thank you to Ms Correia (Year 7 Pastoral Leader), Mrs Lilley (Program Leader - Middle School), Mr Hamilton (Director of IT), Mr Bryan (Curriculum Leader – Technologies), Ms Sian Mason (Dean of Student Wellbeing) and Ms Crothers (Dean of Teaching and Learning) for leading this initiative.
Thank you to our teaching staff for their dedication to our students this week. Homeroom Teachers have enjoyed starting the day and connecting with their Homeroom Classes. Our Classroom Teachers continue to show innovation and creativity in the delivery of their lessons.
Our teachers have been very well supported behind the scenes by our amazing IT team led by Mr Hamilton. I am also grateful to the many school officers who have been supporting “behind the scenes”. Our grounds and maintenance team have been busy this week preparing the campus for our return on Monday.
A special welcome to all new members of our community - staff and new families!
I am pleased to welcome the new members of the College Leadership Team (CLT):
- Ms Sally Crothers – Dean of Teaching and Learning
- Ms Sian Mason – Dean of Student Wellbeing
- Ms Kate Simpson - Dean of Faith and Mission.
I invite you to read more about our CLT and their role in the College. They have been working at the College since 10 January and working very hard to serve our MSM community.
I also welcome the following new members of staff:
- Mr Fabrice Alleaume – French
- Ms Susan Bodiam – Science and Design Technologies
- Ms Maria Conway – RE, English and Humanities
- Ms Jeni Emlen - Science
- Ms Zoey Fellows - SOR and Religion
- Ms Nicole Hardcastle – Mathematics
- Ms Danielle Mulcahy – Music and English
- Ms Maria Marchitto – Learning Assistant.
I also welcome back the following returning staff:
- Mrs Madonna Kelly – Year 8 Pastoral Leader
- Mrs Priscilla Ruddell – Physical Education
- Ms Fiona Mackie – PE and Humanities
The following staff have resigned over the holidays.
- Mr Kieran Donnelly
- Miss Rebecca Jeffries
- Ms Miranda Lindley-McGowan
- Ms Jane McNally
- Ms Amelia Scott.
Dr Donna Ahern (Deputy Principal – Students) also resigned at the end of the year. I thank Dr Ahern for her 14 years of dedicated service to Mt St Michael’s College.
We wish these staff God’s blessing as they enter a new chapter of their lives.
The following staff are on leave:
- Jenny Kemp - Term 1
- Deb Machen – Semester 1
- Jen Price – Semester 1 and Semester 2.
Revised Calendar for Monday 7 February – Friday 4 March
Due to the Government’s “Back to School Plan” there are several College events which have been reviewed. The information below is extracted from the Community Correspondence that was distributed via email on Wednesday 2 February. Please Click here to view full details.
Parental Access to the College Reception area in Grantuly
Under the Back to School Plan, visitor access (including parents/carers) is to be limited. Should parents/carers require assistance they are to ring the doorbell at the front door of Grantuly (College Reception) and wait for an MSM staff member to greet you at the door. Please respect social distancing and follow the directions of the staff member.
The Sophia Centre has had quite a facelift over the holidays. The surface has been redone and the downstairs student and staff toilets have been refurbished. Toilets in Grantuly have also been refurbished.
The next few weeks will continue to present challenges, but it is important that we work in partnership to keep our community safe, while focusing on delivering a high-quality curriculum. If you have any concerns, please contact the College.
“Let us confidently and quietly lay all our cares before God who knows what is best for us.” Venerable Mary Aikenhead
In faith and love