News

Term 4 started off with the Year 12s sitting their Mock WACE Exams and then attending seminars relevant to their WACE subjects. We then started the final countdown preparing for the girls last few days with events including a shared morning tea for all the staff prepared by the girls, the traditional Boater throwing routine, House Breakfast, little Miss awards with a twist this year and ending it all with their Graduation ceremony. It was truly a wonderful way to farewell the class of 2021. While the focus was on the Year 12s the rest of the young ladies all settled back into school routines. Which as you are fully aware, is not easy for teenagers who love their sleep-ins. It was great seeing them all wearing their full summer uniform and I have to say; the majority of the girls are now remembering to remove their excess jewellery before coming to school. A huge thank you to you as parents, for reminding them about the college uniform rules. Since Term 4 is only 8 weeks, I guarantee you that all the girls will all have some sort of homework to do every night. Be it set homework, finishing off work that they did not complete in the classroom, revision for in-class tests, assessments and definitely exam revision for the Year 9-11 girls. If you have found that your daughter is struggling with her homework, then please contact her teacher straight away so they can assist. As you are aware, we do offer free tutoring for the students in Maths, English, Science, your daughter just needs to attend the lunchtime or afterschool clubs for these areas. If you are not sure what days and times the clubs are running, the information can be found below: October is mental Health month and SchoolTv has published their Happy and Gratitude documents here. SchoolTv have said that happiness is defined as the balance of positive and negative emotions, combined with overall life satisfaction. Researchers have found that gratitude is always strongly associated with greater happiness. However, negative emotions are still important. They have a lot to teach us and alert us when things need to change. Practising gratitude helps people feel more of the positive emotions, enables us to relish good experiences, improve our overall health, deal with adversity and build strong relationship. Fiona Hepi Head of Secondary School

The end of the year is just around the corner, learning however, continues with enthusiasm and is very visible when you visit classes. The Year 6s are on their journey working towards making a better world. They are using STEM concepts to create innovative and leading-edge products. Watch this space in our following newsletter for updates. It was lovely to see students from Pre -Primary presenting flowers to our Year 12 graduates last week. They were excited to see their big sisters, and it will be their turn to receive flowers in 2032. This is an exciting time for our Year 5s, taking over the leadership reins next year. They spent a class period learning about different leadership skills and what makes a good leader. In addition, they had the opportunity to listen to the Australian Electoral Commission speaker and learn about our election system. Singing is a favourite activity, and on alternate Fridays, we gather in the gym to learn new hymns with Mrs Wade. It is glorious to watch students from Pre Primary right through to Year 6 singing and moving to the melodies. Once again, it is always lovely to join the Kindergarten children in their morning greeting and singing. They always brighten our day. We certainly have a jam packed semester with students getting ready for the in-term swimming and Grandparent’s Day, and not forgetting our Christmas Carols that will take place on the second last day of the term. We also had a school tour this week, and if you know of families who would like an academically esteemed and well-balanced education, direct them to us. Lastly, this is an important message for parents picking up their children from Glen Road. For the safety of the children, vehicles are not encouraged to park along the road during pick-up time. However, if you need to park the car, kindly proceed to the car park within the College. We have an ample amount of parking bays for you. Have a great last term, and do not forget to slow down and smell the roses. God Bless Anne Tan

Dear Boarding Parents Welcome back to Term 4. Its been a busy one so far, especially for our Year 12s, who have now graduated after a series of wonderful celebratory events last week. With exams on the not too distant horizon, it’s been pleasing to see Year 9-11 girls really give their studies some diligent attention. As you’re aware , the College Fair takes place on Saturday 6th November from 3pm -7pm. As the girls will be needed on both their homeroom stall and the boarding craft stall, there will be no leave approved for Friday evening or Saturday until the fair ends at 7pm. Leave for Sunday will not be affected by the Fair. We’d really appreciate some parent help on our boarding stall, so if you’re planning on being at the Fair, we’d love to see you! I’m somewhat concerned by the increasing number of parents requesting leave for their daughters to watch sport at Ray Owen on weekends, often for the whole day. Please be reminded that there is no boarding supervision available at these games and some sporting clubs run a licensed bar during games. There have also been recent instances where undesirable and dangerous behaviour has occurred which could easily have put the girls present at risk. Going forward, please note that Ray Owen leave will only be approved for a two hour block and only if family members are involved in the playing and a there are family members to supervise the girls spectating . As always, I thank you for your support of our boarding community. Annamaria Cream Head of Boarding

On the last day of Term 3 we celebrated Mercy Day – a wonderful observance celebrating our Mercy Heritage and raising awareness (and funds) for Mercy Works, who run world-class programs that engage in partnership with challenged communities to enjoy the right to basic resources. We began the day celebrating Mass with Fr Bill Ousley OMI and listening to a reflection by Sister Joan Buckham RSM on what it means to live out the teachings of Jesus in our world today. Our main fund-raising event was the running of stalls by each house, including a sausage sizzle, donuts, lolly bags, cans of drink, etc. The day concluded with our Cultural Festival, celebrating the many talents of our students. Thank you to all who contributed goods, including Lesmurdie IGA who donated cans of drinks and ice for the day. Our Mercy Day Stalls, Sleepout for Mercy Works and the Parent Forum Quiz Night raised a total of $6700.00 – a brilliant effort by all! This term we are collecting goods for the St Vincent de Paul Christmas hampers, ensuring all families in our community have the opportunity to celebrate Christmas even though they may be struggling financially. Further information regarding what is needed for the hampers will be distributed soon. Intergenerational Picnic – Darling Range Seniors Hub The Darling Range Seniors Hub reached out to St Brigid’s and Mazenod College, asking for support in putting on an inaugural intergenerational picnic. The first event occurred on Sunday 17 October at Stirk Park in Kalamunda, with another two upcoming events in Woodlupine and High Wycombe. The Hub hopes to make this an annual event. The aim was to provide an opportunity for families and community to come together to play old-fashioned games and enable those living in the neighbourhood to mix with people from different generations.