Issue 8, 23 May 2023

On Wednesday 17 May our college community celebrated its 152nd birthday.  This special occasion marks the day the founding Sisters of St Joseph held the first lessons in a shed on the Port Augusta Wharf on 17 May 1871.  To mark the occasion, the students gathered to sing happy birthday and enjoy a cupcake under St Mary's Shelter.  We do this every year and I am not aware of this custom happening in any other school.  It is unique and special, and a great way to pay homage to St Mary MacKillop and the Sisters of St Joseph as the founders of our school community. 

As part of Catholic Education Week, an awards ceremony was held to celebrate the outstanding achievements and contributions to Catholic education by staff and volunteers throughout South Australian Catholic schools and Catholic Education Offices.

We are delighted to again feature in the list of recipients for an award.  Congratulations to Nathan O'Brien who was awarded the Early Career Teacher Award, which acknowledges the significant impact he has had in our school community in his first five years of teaching.

This award is fitting acknowledgement for Nathan who is consistently committed to meeting the needs of his students both academically and emotionally.  He authentically connects with the pastoral care approach to working with students in the community.  Nathan's calm, supportive, and genuine nature is admired by staff and students alike.  More detailed information about his achievements can be found on the Catholic Education SA website. 

We can be very proud that Nathan's achievement speaks to the strength and impact of our College's vision, mission and its commitment to Catholic education in Port Augusta.

An ongoing priority is to guide our senior students in determining possible post school pathways.  Last week our Year 10s participated in the Post School Pathways camp to Adelaide where they were given a glimpse of university and trade options at Flinders University and PEER along with other organisations including SAMHRI, the Space Discovery Centre and Parliament House.  Old scholars offered insights into their post school journey and we caught up with a few familiar faces and met many more when we visited Aquinas College for dinner.

The culmination of the camp was the Careers and Employment Expo.  The Year 11 cohort and Year 12 Workplace Practices class travelled to Adelaide and met us at Wayville to explore the 160 exhibitors offering post school possibilities.  This 'Big Day Out' was rounded out with visits to the Botanic Gardens, Adelaide Oval, The Central Market, MOD and Adelaide Tree Climb.  Finally, some more old scholars took groups on a quick tour of the University of Adelaide and UniSA's North Terrace Campus.

Further support of career education will continue this term with visits from The University of Adelaide, Flinders University and Aquinas College in the next few weeks.  12 students will travel to Whyalla on Friday to participate in Flinders University Assessment Centre.  The Year 11 cohort are also in the final stages of preparing for work experience, to take place in Week 10 of this term.

An excellent resource 'Student Careers Hub' can be found on the school website under the 'Learning and Wellbeing' tab (Careertools).  Caregivers are encouraged to use this site with their children to research and discuss what they may be interested in and how they can best prepare for the next step in their life journey.  Students and their caregivers are always welcome to also make contact with college staff to discuss options.  

Last week our older students spent their Pastoral Care lesson working with, and getting to know, their buddy class.  Our littlest learners especially love these classes with the older students and spent time playing games.

Our Year 11 students, through their Stage 2 Integrated Learning, have been exploring in depth the stories of Project Compassion for 2023.  Students have considered their group case study (exploring Nepal, Vietnam, Zimbabwe and Australia), the challenges that others undertake to have the necessities and resources that we can easily obtain and made connections to our Catholic Social Teachings and Sustainable Development Goals.  Students were then tasked with creating informative and interactive booths, inviting classes from across the college to come see the product of their learning.  The Year 11's have demonstrated their call to community in following in the footsteps of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop by deeply considering their response to those most in need.