Building Futures Vol 6 2012.pdf - Merici College

BuildingFuturesVol 6 2012BuildingFutures

WHAT’S GOING ONUp-Coming EventsSee Merici web -site for full Calender and further detailsMonday 15 October First Day Term 4CONTENTSFriday 19 OctoberCommissioning Liturgy – 11.30amMerici Kitchen Gardens 4Monday 22 OctoberSenior Tertiary Oral Presentation DayThursday 25 OctoberPerforming Arts ExtravaganzaFriday 26 October Induction Morning Year 7 – 2011Tuesday 30 OctoberLa Sfida Presentation – 5.30 pmFriday 2 NovemberYear 7 ImmunisationsTuesday 13 NovemberYear 12 House Farewell/LiturgiesWednesday 14 November Sports Awards Presentation NightCultural Assembly 5Principles of PowerfulLearning in the MathsDepartment6-7Athletics Carnival 8-9Cultural Assembly 10-11Fine Dining atMerici College12-13Friday 23 NovemberMerici Newsletter Vol 7 postedMericiCollegeA 7–12 Catholic Girls College2013 COLLEGE YEAR ISFAST APPROACHING.MERICI COLLEGE:BUILDING FUTURESFOR EXCEPTIONALYOUNG WOMENPLACES ARE AVAILABLE INYEAR 7 AND OTHER YEAR LEVELS.Contact Trish Ryan, Enrolment Officer on(02) 6243 4102 for more information or visitthe College’s website www.merici.act.edu.auCOME AND SEE THE COLLEGE IN ACTION!Building FuturesFOR EXCEPTIONAL YOUNG WOMENSeniors Share Success 14Library ServicesPowerful Learning15Merici Moments 16Building Futures Editorial Team:Lauren Abraham, JessicaHoward, Michaela Mathews,Phil Coe and Virginia McLeod.Cover photoCover image: Adriana Ilheo as aTransformer, showing her Mericispirit at the Athletics CarnivalMerici CollegeWise St, Braddon ACT 2612GPO Box 154, Canberra 2601Ph: 6243 4100Fx: 6243 4199E: principal.merici@merici.act.edu.au2www.merici.cg.catholic.edu.au

From Our Principal…From the PrincipalHow quicklytime flies! Weare at the endof the termand so muchhas beenhappeningat Merici,both in theclassroom and in the broader lifeof the College. In reflecting on thelast month or so, I am regularlyreminded of the strength andgenerosity of spirit shown by theMerici community.The Athletics Carnival provides anopportunity for the athletes in ourmidst to shine, and for the rest ofus to show our support for themand our Houses through our activepresence on the day. Despite thethreat of inclement weather we had arecord high attendance rate, which isa reflection of the community spiritprevalent in the school. Studentsshowed their usual panache inresponding to their House themes andexuberantly demonstrated House pridethroughout the day; from the stands,the track and the field. There wasno shortage of enthusiasm back at theCollege, with the final cheers showingincredible production qualities,originality and volume! I wouldlike to publically thank the PHABSDepartment lead by Mr Higginbothamfor organising, and so efficiently,managing the day.Merici is very proud of our successin being named the ACT winner ofSustainable Cities Award. We havesince hosted a national judge forthe Sustainable Cities Award andthe National Executive Officer ofKeep Australia Beautiful. They were“extremely impressed at the level ofstudent and community involvementas well as the genuine sustainabilityculture across the school community.”I was incredibly proud and humbledto hear our staff so passionatelydescribing their specialist areas andprojects, which all ties togetherunder the sustainability umbrella.The students from the Sustainabilityelective and Environmental andSustainability Team were enthusiasticin their role as guides and explainersof the programs. A huge thank you toMs Eliza Hopkins, our SustainabilityOfficer, for her dedication to Mericiand our sustainability programs.Merici will represent the ACT at theNational awards to be announced inNovember.The support that the senior studentshave shown for one another in theirpreparation for the AST is a wonderfulshow of community support. Theyare to be commended on their focusduring the preparation sessionsand their emotional support forone another on “those” two daysin September. On behalf of all theTertiary students I would like tothank Mr Coe and Ms Bandle for theirefforts in preparing the students.The Edge conference organised bythe Year 12 Business Administrationclass, for Year 11 and 12 Accreditedstudents, was a great success in itssecond year. The value is not just inthe presentations on the day but in theplanning and execution of this projectby the students themselves. Welldone! One of the organising studentswas subsequently offered a position atthe venue and is being mentored byone of their key events person.A night in Paris - what a huge night!While not quite as exotic as anoverseas adventure, Merici “hostedan elaborate, French inspired dinnerfor 75 people at their new BridgeRestaurant” (http://www.larche.org.au/communities). The eveningwas a fundraising event for L’ArcheGenesaret and started with drinksand canapés in the canteen, soothedby the sounds of the Merici StringQuartet. Guests then moved to theBridge restaurant for a seven coursedegustation prepared and served bythe Year 11 Hospitality class andsupervised by expert, extremelyhardworking and resourceful teachers.Between courses guests participatedin raffles and an auction to raise fundsfor L’Arche and the support of theircommunities, where people with andwithout an intellectual disability sharelife together. What stood out on theevening was the enormous pride thatthe Merici College students and staffhave in the work that they do andthe joy given to guests through thegastronomic delights and generoushospitality.As I write, Registration is only aweek away and by the time you readthis it will be over! I would like toexpress my gratitude to the staff ofMerici, particular the members of theExecutive team for the energy, effortsand support given to prepare for andcarry out Registration. I look forwardto discussing the Registration Reportwith you in the next issue of BuildingFutures.Ann ClearyActing Principal3

OUR ETHOSKee p Australia Beautiful Sustainable Cities AwardMerici College reaps thebenefits of their KitchenGarden ProgramMerici College’s Kitchen GardenProgram has been awarded theoverall winner for the ACT KeepAustralia Beautiful SustainableCities Competition. The KitchenGarden Program also won the YoungLegends category of the competition.Excitingly, Merici College will nowrepresent the ACT for the NationalKeep Australia Beautiful SustainableCities Award.The award is a great privilege and agreat responsibility. However, thebiggest benefits lay not in the awarditself but the learning which theKitchen Garden Program has fostered.Merici College has long believed thatas custodians of the earth we have aresponsibility to nurture the naturalenvironment in order to ensure itcan sustain generations to come. TheKitchen Garden Program was designedto encourage students to share thisethos. The success of the program is asign that such learning has begun!Food is central to our livelihood.However, cooking and eating is somuch more than the art of survival, itis a social process and it can becomethe foundation of communities. Yet, inthe world of fast-food and microwavemeals we are at risk of losing thesociality of food and an understandingof the eco-systems which grow theingredients in our meals. The KitchenGarden Program was designed tobe a project which would build acommunity around the practice ofeating healthily and sustainably.The Kitchen Garden Program followsKeep Australia Beautiful AwardGarden Veggiesa simple mantra; grow, cook, eat.Students and staff germinate seedlingsin the glass house, which are thenplanted into our large vegetablegarden. The produce from the gardenis then used to prepare the mealsserved in the canteen and fortnightlyrestaurant, the Bridge.Educational BenefitsMerici College views the garden asa hub for learning and encouragesevery Faculty to integrate it into theirteaching. Sustainability relates to everyaspect of our world and thus must betaught holistically. In addition to this,the garden allows each student to dosomething; the simple skill of learninghow to produce your own vegetablesand fruit often leads to innovativethinking about how sustainablecommunities can be created.Such thinking is encouraged byoffering every student and teacher theopportunity to volunteer in the boththe Vegetable Garden and IndigenousGarden, and the Program is alsoincorporated into several courses:• Science and Sustainability studentsuse the green house to germinateseedlings which are then planted inthe garden.• The Sustainability Elective spendstime working in the garden eachweek and back in the class roomthey relate it to concepts aroundlocal sustainability and foodsystems.• The senior hospitality classes use theproduce to cook meals which aresold at the canteen and the school’sfortnightly restaurant, The Bridge.This means that knowledge abouthow to plan and prepare seasonalmeals is included in their CERTqualifications.• Business students are given practicalexperience by helping to managethe canteen and restaurant.Environmental BenefitsThe Kitchen Garden Programnot only makes the school moreenvironmentally friendly, but itis encouraging staff and studentsto engage with the concept ofsustainability.• Students are learning how togrow their own vegetables andconsider how they can use theseskills in their personal lives. Theyalso consider how the gardensare linked to broader concepts insustainability, such as food systemsand biodiversity.• The canteen has a no-waste policy.This means that real cutlery, platesand cups are used, packaging is at aminimum, recycling is encouraged,and all food produce is compostedand then used in the garden beds.• The canteen uses produce fromthe garden, and when necessarysources local and sustainable food.This reduces the school’s carbonfootprint.• The Indigenous Garden is usedto teach staff and students how tominimise water use when growingproduce.Creating CommunityToday, students and staff happilyvolunteer in the garden, students namethe vegetables they are growing, theyenjoy sitting at a table with friends andeating the meals the have prepared.4

OUR ETHOSKee p Australia Beautiful Sustainable Cities AwardStaff and students have been involvedin creating the Kitchen GardenProgram and as a result they feel agreat sense of pride and ownershipover the initiative. We have createda community which has a sharedunderstanding that we are custodiansof the earth, and that we have aresponsibility to nurture the naturalenvironment.Merici College is eager to showothers how easy it is to act upon ourresponsibility as custodians of theearth:• Every week special needs studentsfrom the Black Mountain Schoolcome to be mentored by our Year10 students. Together, they spendtime working in the garden andkitchen to prepare the fresh foodfor cooking.• We seek opportunities to shareour experience with other schools,learn from them and supportthem to establish Kitchen GardenPrograms. Already this year we haveparticipated in the EcoBus Tour byvisiting other schools and hostinga lunch and tour for 60 studentsfrom several secondary schools.Our students are working onpresentations for two Kids TeachingKids Conferences this year, andwe also plan to host an interschoolsconference to ensure thisdialogue between schools continuesthroughout the year.• Recently, we have become a modelschool for the Healthy Schools,Healthy Children Program. MericiCollege hopes their involvementin the program will allow themto mentor other schools to adoptsustainable and healthy eatingpractices.• The school hopes that the awardwill raise the profile of the school sothat we can continue to become asource of support and informationfor other schools hoping toencourage healthy eating practiceswithin their school. The message wetake to each of these schools is toconsider what is unique about yourcommunity and to involve people inbuilding a project which makes themost of these circumstances.ConclusionEvery day the students and staff ofMerici College have the opportunityto prepare and eat healthy, cheap,sustainable meals. Merici College isthrilled to have received the KeepAustralia Beautiful Sustainable CitiesAwards and hopes it will spur on thework they can do both within thewalls of the school and beyond them,with the broader community. Whenstudents leave the school, they willlose access to the meals provided byour canteen. But they have gained asense of responsibility to care for ourearth and an understanding of howsimple and enjoyable this can be. Thismessage, this act, is one that they willalways carry with them and that makesme feel very hopeful about our future.Samantha Mayne and Claudia Keski-NummiEliza HopkinsSustainability Officer5

POWERFUL LEARNINGBuilding Futures in MathematicsTraditionally, Mathematics hasbeen taught to streamed classesfrom Year 8 in a formal settingwith teacher instruction andthen practice. There are someperceived advantages to this.Teachers are clear that contenthas been delivered, the formalsetting means students arefacing the teacher when thecontent is delivered and streamedclasses means that content canbe customised to the currentachievement level of the group.Current research tells us that thismethod of delivery only works for afew students – those who are alreadyachieving well in Mathematics. For therest, in what we have traditionally called“lower ability” classes, the curriculummoves on past their point of learning,they are labelled as “not good atMaths”, and they never catch up. Inaddition, their confidence is diminished,making it more difficult for them toapply a growth mindset. The Principlesof Powerful Learning that we apply hereat Merici warrant a different approach,one that provides each student withthe correct balance of challenge andscaffolding, self-directed learning, andvaried, stimulating and engaging tasks.In addition to this, the AustralianCurriculum requirements are, thatall students in a school year level areexposed to all of the content set downfor that year level.The problem: How do we teach allstudents, at their point of learning – thepoint where their current knowledge,6skills and confidence is currently, whichmay or may not be at their school yearlevel – while exposing them to thecontent for their year level?The research tells us that mixedachievement level groups withdifferentiated instruction and practicematerial is the answer.In addition, the content should bedelivered in a variety of ways: throughdiscovery; direct instruction – which isstill shown to be necessary for effectivelearning; activities that allow for practicebut that are varied in their type, notjust straight from the textbook; andactivities that are pitched at the currentlevel of understanding and skill, as wellas the interests and strengths of eachstudent. This is a big ask of teachers whohave been teaching Mathematics in thetraditional way for many years. It is a bigask for students who are used to beingtold what, and how, to learn.One of the difficulties of the AustralianCurriculum, ACT Department ofEducation and CEO requirements isthat of reporting. We are required toreport on each student using the A-Egrades. Unfortunately, this means thatfor some students, who are currentlyachieving at well below year level, theonly result they can achieve is an E. Thiscan be demoralising for students, as wellas teachers, and frustrating for parents.There are two comments that need to bemade here:Firstly, in most cases, an E is nota reflection of lack of effort nor,necessarily, an inability to doMathematics. It simply means that thestudent has not yet met the standard ofher current year. There may be manythings contributing to this: maturityof thinking, gaps in backgroundknowledge, not enough practise ofthe skills, lack of understanding of theconcepts, missing lessons through illnessor sporting commitments, and so on. Itis dangerous to look at a student’s gradeand judge the student.Secondly, the grade gives no indicationof the progress made along a verycomplex and long continuum ofMathematical learning. It may be thata Year 9 student is, at the beginningof the semester, achieving outcomes atYear 7 level, and at the end is achievingoutcomes at Year 8 level, but becausethey are in Year 9, they may still achievean E. And it does not mean that thissame student could not achieve at Year10 level by the end of Year 10, providedthey keep moving along the continuum.However, in the current system, theywould have been placed in a “Level 3”group and taught content for Year 9,level 3, whether they were ready for it ornot. Most good Mathematics teacherswill try desperately to fill in gaps alongthe way but because they feel compelledto deliver the content as specified, andto expect the students to do the workset for that content, they are usually asfrustrated as the students.Ideally, we need a way to report theprogress of students so that we, andthey know that they are movingalong this continuum of learning, andwe as teachers, and you as parents,can help them along the journey byencouragement and targeted assistance.So how do we get there? How to wetransform the teaching of Mathematicsso that every student is reaching theirfull potential?Some things are already in place. InYear 7, we teach Integrated Maths andScience to non-streamed classes. Weuse activities that teach the studentsto work like Mathematicians, to usehigher order thinking skills and todevelop their confidence in workingwith Mathematical ideas. Tasks fromthe Maths 300 program, Manga High,activities from the Scaffolding Numeracyfor the Middle years project conductedby Diane Siemann at RMIT and workfrom traditional and new textbooks arecombined with using Mathematics inscientific ways to form a rich experience.We need to take these ideas and extendthem into the following years.Here is our plan:This semester, we have combined theprevious Level 2 and 3 classes in Year 10to take away the stigma of being Level3 and to allow the students to see that

POWERFUL LEARNINGBuilding Futures in Mathematicsthere are possibilities for all. Already,most of the students seem more settledand happy. Those who were previouslyLevel 2 are not disadvantaged becauseof this combination because they are stilltaught the same content and teachersare able to supply extension activitiesanywhere along the way. All of thepreviously Level 2 classes are now smallerthan in Semester 1.In Year 9, the teachers are workingwith Differentiated Activities basedon the work of Ralph Pirozzo. Theseactivities combine the understandingthat students have preferred ways oflearning (Howard Gardner’s multipleintelligences) with the idea that learningis conducted at different depths fromknowing and understanding a conceptto being able to apply it, analyse its useand then being able to evaluate andcreate new ways of using that learning(Bloom’s Taxonomy). In addition, allYear 9 students are being exposed to thesame content and will be given the sameassessment.We are developing tables called capacitymatrices that list the knowledge and skillsthat students need to acquire in a unitof work. They also list all the activitiesassociated with each concept. Eachstudent receives a capacity matrix andis able to track their learning. They cantick of the level of their understandingby deciding whether they remember,understand, can apply or have wisdomin a concept. In addition, a column inthe matrix shows whether the concept ispart of the Achievement Standard underthe Australian Curriculum. If a conceptis part of this Standard, it means that it isa concept that a student needs to masterin order to be working at a satisfactorylevel. Concepts that are not part ofthe Achievement Standard are part ofthe curriculum content that the year isexposed to that forms the basis of thework for later years.We have started using pre-testing atthe beginning of a unit in some unitsThis helps us to understand the currentknowledge of a student, includingtheir pre-requisite knowledge and skillsand to know whether some studentshave already achieved the necessaryknowledge and skills and requireenrichment.Eventually, the pre-tests and the capacitymatrices will form the basis for reportingprogress along the continuum in aformal way. At the moment, we can useit in an informal way and report in thecomments on your daughter’s reports.I strongly encourage you to look pastthe grades at these comments. They willtell you the real story of your daughter’sprogress.The next steps:Incorporating Maths 300, Nrich,Manga High, Mathletics, and otherdifferentiated activities into all units ofwork in the curriculum.Moving to mixed-ability classes forYears 8 and 9 to allow students towork with groups of students at alllevels and to move up and down thegroup as their learning allows. This issupported by the National NumeracyReview recommendation 9. We areconfident that this is the right movefor all students, allowing them to buildindividual confidence to tackle andsucceed in Mathematics.Because the Australian Curriculumincludes a 10A course that is a morecomplex stream leading to the moreformal study of the higher levels ofTertiary Mathematics in College,and because this course needs somepreparatory work done in Year 9, therewill have to be choice made by thestudents to elect this path. The capacitymatrices for work in Year 9 will identifythe preparatory work for the 10A course.Students who are keen to undertake thiswork will be encouraged to do so. At theend of Year 9, there will be an option tosit a test to determine whether a studenthas the necessary knowledge and skillsto succeed at the 10A course. It will beopen to any student in Year 9.We are continuing to utilise moreflexible learning where students canwatch Youtube videos of instructionin concepts either produced by theirteacher or found as existing videosonline. If students have already viewedthe content as homework, the teachercan then focus on working throughactivities to support this learning, orchoose to explain the concept again ina different way. This has been calledin research the ‘Flipped Classroom’In addition, the students can rewatchthe videos until they are surethey understand, or use it to supportthem while they apply the concept toquestions. The students get several “bitesof the cherry”.What can you do to assistyour daughters to be successfulin Mathematics?The most important thing is to talkpositively about Mathematics. Evenif you do not consider that you weresuccessful at Mathematics at school,please believe that your daughtershave the capacity, irrespective of theirhistorical achievements, to becomesuccessful at Mathematics. This isabsolutely what we believe, based onthe principles of brain-based learning.Encourage your daughters to maintaina growth mind-set and be open tobecoming more competent with theapplication of effort.Ask to see the capacity matrix for theunit of work your daughter is doing.Encourage her to complete a questionor activity from the matrix at home,even if it was not set for homework.Use capacity matrices from previousunits to help your daughter with ongoingrevision. Encourage your daughterto complete Manga High or Mathleticsactivities either from their current unit ofwork or for revision. Help your daughterto find YouTube videos of mathematicalconcepts.Mathematics is changing at Merici. Wechallenge you to become part of thisexciting and positive change that willhelp your daughters to build futuresmore wondrous than even you dare todream for them.You could also say that curriculum hasbeen integrated for a long time at Mericiin every subject except maths and so weare coming into line with the rest of theschool.Jennifer MissenMathematics Coordinator7

athletics carnivalAthletics CarniResultsCompetition1st Seiwa2nd Balgo3rd TullowHouse Spirit1st Seiwa2nd Tullow3rd BalgoAge Champions12 Tayla-Jane McIntosh13 Brighid McClelland14 Helena Hodges15 Rachel Alchin16 Jordan McGarryOpenAchingol MayonWinnerMerici FlashL-R: Olivia Svager, Sabine Hamilton, Felicity Yates,Hannah Black, Ashleigh Goodwin, Helena Hodges,Jordan McGarry, Faith Cooper, Maddison McGarry

val 2012

Cultural AssemblyThe Arts Express ThemselvesYear 11 Dance - AntithesisDancefestThe Ausdance Youth Dance Festivalhas been running since 1985. It is anannual event which takes place at TheCanberra Theatre in September overthree evenings. Many of the secondaryschools and colleges in the Canberraregion participate with some comingfrom as far as Goulburn and Cooma.Dancefest, as it is affectionately knownis not a competition but is designed tobe a celebration of Dance in schools.This year there are 49 entries from 33secondary schools and more than 1250dancers will be performing. Everyyear Ausdance selects a theme andthe schools then choreograph a fiveminute dance based on that theme.The dance can be from any dancegenre or a combination of styles.Merici College have submitted threeentries this year: one from the twoYear 10 Dance classes, one fromthe Year 11 Dance class and onefrom the Year 12 Dance class. Thestudents in the classes have creativecontrol of their Dancefest entry andthey are responsible for choosing thetheme, the choreography, costumes,lighting requirements, props orscenery. Dancefest forms part of theirperformance assessment within theDance curriculum.This experience encourages thestudents to collaborate with oneanother, explore different ideas andmovements and develop their problemsolving skills. The students enjoy theprocess of rehearsing, polishing andperforming in front of an audience.The theme for Dancefest 2012 is‘Heroes’. The two Year 10 classes havechoreographed a dance entitled ‘TheHero Within’ and it is based on thebelief that anyone has the potential tobe a hero and one may never know theimpact you have on another person’slife. The Year 11 class have focusedon the opposite of heroes and haveproduced a dance entitled ‘Antithesis’which explores the darker side ofhuman nature. The Year 12 Danceclass have looked at popular musicheroines who have inspired them asthey were growing up. Their dance isentitled ‘Girl Power’ and focuses onthe music of Tina Turner, The SpiceGirls and Beyonce.The dance students eagerly anticipateDancefest every year and look forwardto performing on a professional stageas well as enjoying the opportunity toview the entries from other schoolsand colleges.CULTURAL ASSEMBLYRecently Merici College celebratedthe fine arts through the CulturalAssembly performances, whichshowcased just some of the projectsand productions the staff and studentshave been working on throughout theyear. The Expressive Arts at MericiCollege, being; Music, Dance, Drama,Photography, Art and Media, givestudents an opportunity to expressthemselves and this was definitelydone at the Cultural Assembly. TheArts have the ability to express thethoughts and feelings we cannotsimply express in words, and throughthe great performances seen at theconcert, the students gathered anappreciation for the Arts.The concert opened with the musicalARCHDIOCESE OF CANBERRAAND GOULBURN1ST CATHOLIC PRIMARYSCHOOLS CHOIR FESTIVALYear 10 Dance - The Hero WithinYear 12 Dance - Girl PowerOn Wednesday 22 August 2012, over300 parents and students packedthe Auditorium at Merici Collegeto enjoy the voice of primary schoolchoirs from 7 schools around theArchdiocese. The choirs came from10

Cultural AssemblyThe Arts Express Themselvesnumber, ‘Josephs Coat’ from theColleges’ first musical production‘Joseph and the TechnicolouredDreamcoat’. It was an entertainingway to open up the concert, andcreated a very energetic atmosphere, asthe young cast and crew demonstratedtheir devotion and talents to theCollege community. They performedagain later in the concert with thepiece ‘Canaan Days’ a very emotiveand expressive piece, designed tocreate empathy for the audience anddisplay how drama, dance and musiccan change an atmosphere and stiremotions. The musical was shownearlier this term and the enthusiasmof the performers was still present asmuch as it was during show week.The students who missed out onseeing the production, got to see twobrilliant numbers, and it was verybeneficial that those students got tosee a glimpse and be a part of theproduction too.The Year 12 senior Dance class for‘Dance Fest ‘displayed one of theirpieces called ‘Girl Power’ and it wasdefinitely one of the highlights of theconcert, as it emphasised the strengthof women and was a relevant messageto the young girls of the College. Thepiece was very well choreographedand illustrated great determination,practice and detail. The time andeffort the girls put into these pieceswas very clear, and the performanceitself was very enjoyable for all whowatched.The first major performance in frontof the school for the College choirwas also presented at the assembly.Performing ‘Electricity’ from the BillyElliot Broadway Musical and ‘Youcan’t stop the beat’ from Hairspray,gave an opportunity to the audiencewhere they could sing and performas they too were familiar with theglobally recognised songs.Drama always demonstrated thetalents of the girls at Merici, andmanaged to put on a unique anddifference performance continuallyevery year at the Cultural Assembly.The Year 10s performed a shortpiece from their Museum Theatretask. The contemporary and diversedramatic style was very different andunexpected for the audience.Media videos were played through theopening of the assembly, and showedthe creativity of film and photography,and the entertainment and humour thestudents gain from it. It demonstratedsome very wonderful and entertainingideas, and the students thoroughlyenjoyed it.The concert this year, proved to beboth engaging and entertaining. Theperformances seen on the day wereonly a small fraction of the works thathave been performed and displayedwithin and outside the College thisyear. The Cultural Assembly outlinedthe amount of effort, hard work andmotivation both staff and studentshave to create truly marvellouspieces. All their efforts both seen inthe assembly and outside are greatlyappreciated by the College, andwe look forward to seeing new andwonderful things next year.Jordan MedlockExpressive Arts Cultural CaptainMoruya, Cooma, Gundagai and theCanberra area.The Canberra Branch of the Knightsof the Southern Cross (KSC) and theCatholic Education Office has workedfor the past 12 months to create andorganise the event, which formedpart of the Year of Grace celebrationsin the Archdiocese. Merici Collegevolunteered to host the festival andprovided administrative support,lunch service and afternoon tea toparticipating teachers, students andtheir families.Choirs offered a wide range of hymnsand songs ranging from “My God (MyGuy) from the movie, Sister Act 1, to“The Rhythm of Life”. Choirs rangedin size from 14 to 57 members but theoverall enthusiasm and commitmentwas there for all to see. The whole ideaof the choir festival was to let childrenexperience the fun of performing inpublic and this certainly was achieved.Three professional judges volunteeredtheir services for the festival – JakiKane, Jenny McCarthy and MargeryLindermayer – all with many yearsof involvement with choirs. Theyapplauded the work done by choirdirectors and students alike inpreparing for the event. Some choirswere created just for the event.Mike Cassidy, District Chairmanof the KSC, presented the trophiesfor the first three places and theEncouragement Award (all of whichhad been sponsored by the CatholicDevelopment Fund).1st place was taken out by St Patrick’sParish School, Cooma, NSW, 2ndplace by St Patrick’s Primary School,Gundagai, NSW, and 3rd place byHoly Trinity Primary School, Curtin,ACT. A special Encouragement Awardwas given to St Edmund’s JuniorChoir, Griffith , ACT. All participatingchoirs were presented with framedParticipant’s awards.It is hoped that schools wouldcontinue to participate in the festivalevent for many years to come and anumber of schools, who could notattend the event in 2012, have alreadyshown their interest for 2013.Media Release issued by the Archdioceseof Canberra and Goulburn CatholicEducation Office, August 2012.11

FINE DINING AT MERICI COLLEGE‘A Night in Paris’ for Friends of L’Archemaître de fromYear 11 andably assisted bya number ofwaitresses.L’Arche Lucky Recipientsof Year 11s SkillOn 5 September, friends andsupporters of the L’Arche communityin Canberra were transported toa ‘Night in Paris’ courtesy of thestudents of Merici College. MericiYear 11 Hospitality students hostedan elaborate, French inspired 7 coursedegustation dinner for 75 peopleat their new Bridge Restaurant.The evening was organised to raisefunds for L’Arche Genesaret, a localcharity that welcomes adults withintellectually disabilities to live incommunity and currently supports 13core members in family-style homes inCanberra.The night began with a receptionwhere guests enjoyed drinks andcanapés soothed by the sounds ofthe Merici string quartet. Followingdrinks, guests were guided into themain dining room, for a seven coursedegustation menu with French wine,presided over by a very composedThe menu forthe night waselaborate andwould havechallenged aseasoned chef,let alone girlsin their firstyear of college.The Year 11students were guided by their teacherTrish Young, whose patience andskill impressed everyone involved.The menu gave a modern twist toa number classic French dishes,including a fresh tuna nicoise salad;grilled quail on a warm potatoand almond salad, grilled eye filletserved with braised mushrooms andbéarnaise sauce, a French cheese platewith handmade water cracker andwalnut bread and an assiette platter,profiteroles, chocolate truffles andlemon tarts.The evening was a great culinarysuccess. Assisting Trish wereHospitality staff, Virginia McLeod,Fabrice Boone, and Tookie Capezio.The girls executed each course withgreat skill and the 1000 food itemswere delivered to the guests withconfidence. Most of the guests werenot familiar with the tradition ofquality cooking at Merici, however,the overwhelming response fromdiners that night was that the foodwas delicious and presented to a veryhigh standard.Several guests remarked that theirmeals were actually better thanrecent meals at more acclaimed localrestaurants. One can only wonderwhat impact these girls will have onthe fine dining scene in Canberra inthe years to come.The L’Arche community would liketo thank the students and staff ofthe college who helped our Boardraise over $5500. Proceeds fromthe event will contribute to a muchneeded, community van that canbe customised to meet the needs ofageing community members.Leila JordanFriend of L’Arche12

FINE DINING AT MERICI COLLEGETrades Training Centre Earns its Kee pMerici Crowned Teen ChefsFor the second year in a row Merici College has won theTeen Chefs competition sponsored by Belconnen FreshFood MarketsMerici’s team of four Year 11 students, Shae Walsh,Georgia Allen, Stephanie Markee and Rachel Donohoewere up against finalists, Stromlo High School andDaramalan College. The judging panel comprised ofChef Tom Moore (Knead Patisserie and Four Chefs), JanMartin-Brown (Cooking Coordinates) and local radio starsRod and Biggzy.The students impressed the judges with theirprofessionalism. They had excellent technical skills andkept the kitchen spotless as they prepared two serves of acomplex four course menu in 90 minutes. They made anexcellent risotto that Tom Moore had demonstrated to thefinalists two weeks before. This was preceded by a simplebut beautifully produced pear, rocket and goats cheesesalad. The main dish was a deboned spatchcock servedwith roasted batons of a variety of vegetables. Dessertcompleted the menu with the students cooking a berry,rhubarb and pomegranate crumble. Although the girls rana little over time their menu was a winner. The judges werealso knocked out by Stromlo’s chocolate fondant dessertand also by Daramalan’s chocolate berry tart.Winning team members from Merici College were awardedan Acer tablet, Nokia 5000 mobile phone with 6 monthsservice ($39 endless plan), honorary induction intothe Four Chefs apprentice program and $200 worth ofBelconnen Fresh Food Markets gift vouchers.Virginia McLeodAssistant Global Studies CoordinatorNight Bridge Wows CustomersYear 12 Hospitality students demonstrated their skill atthe recent night Bridge Restaurant. As usual the restaurantwas fully booked. The front of house staff under theexpert guidance of Tookie Capezio served 60 customers.The kitchen provided the food effortlessly, the flow wasseamless and the guests were impressed.The three course menu started with a delicate tartlet ofcandied tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and garden herbs,followed by a roasted lamb loin on braised barley or searedblue eye cod with potato and spinach dumplings. Fordessert there was a choice of warm chocolate tart withbanana ice cream or blueberry clafoutis with almond tuiles.The restaurant was full by 6.40pm giving the girls achallenge identical to that provided in the industry. Ournew point of sale system, complemented by palm pilotordering devices proved to be an excellent addition to ouralready brilliant facilities. Most students demonstrated anexcellent ability to focus on their allocated tasks, and theservice was carried out briskly. Guests requested a tour ofour incredible kitchen and were suitably impressed. ‘Whenis the next restaurant?’ They asked.Fabrice BooneHospitality Teacher13

SENIORS SHARE SUCCESSSeniors Share SuccessEllyse Dahl - School Captain,Ashleigh Meers - Vice CaptainMaddison Mcdonald - Expressive Arts, Angelica Windsor - SRC, Leigh Kalsbeek - Sport,Monique Pasfield - Spirituality, Rachel Porter - Social Justice, Hayley Waring - SustainabilityYear 12 Tertiary Students preparing for their final AST exam on Wednesday 5th September. Students shared breakfast and ashort liturgy prior to the sitting of tests on each of the two daysStudents at the Accredited Conference on Tuesday 4th September14

LIBRARY SERVICES POWERFUL LEARNINGStudents Strive for SuccessFashion ParadeBest dressed‘Champion’Best dressed‘Daffodil’Best DressedBook CharacterAdelaide Degainand CapucineSenguineBridgetHodge-MeliLaura Goodwin(Mad Hatter)The theme for Book Week this yearwas ‘Champions Read’. The MericiCollege staff and students recentlycame together to celebrate thelongest running children’s festivalin Australia, the 67th Annual BookWeek event which was held on the20th – 24th August.This year the Senior LibraryInformation Services class was incharge of organising Book Week, as itwas a part of our assessment for thisterm. We decided to organise activitiesevery day for the duration of BookWeek and from these activities wechose to raise money to support twocharities. The two charities that wechose to support were the ‘IndigenousLiteracy Foundation’ and the ‘CancerCouncil’. Our class found that theBook Week celebration this year wasa very successful event, as we raiseda large amount of money from theactivities that were held and alsobecause we got the participation ofmany students, and staff membersfrom the college.We raised $185 dollars for thebook swap and $986 dollars forthe fashion parade and the rafflescombined together. It was fantasticto see the whole Merici communityget involved. We would like to saya big thank you to all the staff andstudents for participating in the BookWeek activities. We couldn’t havehad an excellent week without you.Congratulations to the followingstudents on their success in winningprizes:Raffle Winners1st Samara Carrol2nd Catherine Hade3rd Bethany TaylorGuess the number of the lollies inthe jar:There were 70 lollies in the jar, andCatherine Hade, Se 2 guessed thatnumber exactly.Overall the preparations of BookWeek has given us a very worthwhileexperience, it has taught us many newskills about organising, delegating andteamwork.Mikaela Dingley, Ashley Raab,Christina TruongInformation Services StudentsPowerful Learning acrossthe CollegeIf you walk the corridors of Mericiyou will soon come across one of theposters outlining the Principles ofPowerful Learning which underpinteaching and learning at Merici. Toassist staff and students ‘digest’ themultiple facets ofthe Principles,each termthere isa focuswhich ishighlightedin theteachingand learningprogram. ThePowerful Learning foci for 2012 are:Term 1 Critical and appropriate useof technologyTerm 2 Valuing and Caring forGod’s CreationTerm 3 Independent andcollaborative workTerm 4 Utilising diverse learningopportunitiesCopies of the Principles and termfoci are found in student planners,staff handbooks, the daily notices andbulletins. In 2011 students rewrotethe Principles in ‘kidspeak’ to makethem more accessible.Each yearthe teacherlibrarians holda workshopwith eachjunior yeargroup toexplore thefoci for theyear. This year students created QAcodes – the quick read codes that younow see in magazines, newspapersand many other places. The tasktouched on aspects of the four fociand engaged the students who createdsome inspiring promotional QR codeson an aspect of life at Merici.Jill WisbeyPowerful Learning Coordinator15

Merici momentsBook Characters Come Alive