The annual Advisory Council Dinner held on 28 November provided an opportunity to thank the Council for their contribution to St Mary's College throughout 2022. It was also an occasion to acknowledge and bid farewell to Chair Laura Button, who has given 7 years of service to the school Board and then Council. Her calm, thoughtful and insightful contributions will be very much missed. This occasion was also an opportunity for the Council to acknowledge milestone years of service for some of our staff. The St Mary’s College School Advisory Council provided terrific support and guidance to me and the school in general. We are extremely fortunate to have highly dedicated parents, staff and professionals with expertise in related fields that are able to view directions, policies and plans from a range of perspectives to ensure the school is being led in the best direction possible. I am incredibly appreciative of their time and expertise and thank them for their contributions this year.

Congratulations to our Year 12 Graduates 2022

On behalf of the St Mary’s College community, I would like to congratulate each and every graduating student. We are extremely proud of our VCE and VCAL students who have demonstrated resilience in managing the challenges of the past three years to successfully complete their secondary education. We had a total of 11 students successfully complete their VCE or VCAL certificate, and they graduate from St Mary’s College as young empowered and inquiring adults.

At St Mary’s College, it is important that all students are supported in their journey to achieve their personal best. This year’s group of students did exactly that. All VCE students achieved a study score in English or EAL required for entry in most university courses which can be challenging for many deaf and hard of hearing students. This reflects the commitment of the students and their teachers in continually working towards their literacy goals throughout their secondary education. Notably, 3 students achieved an ATAR greater than 90, which is an exceptional result.

Our College Dux, Sarah Jin, attained an outstanding Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank of 97.8. I extend my congratulations to Sarah and wish her well as he undertakes further studies at University. All VCE and VCAL students leave us with a pathway into their chosen career. I acknowledge the guidance, commitment and dedication of the St Mary’s teachers in preparing our young people for life beyond school.

As we come to the end of the 2022 school year, I would like to extend my gratitude, blessings and best wishes to each and every student and family. For those who are leaving our school community, I wish you happiness and success in whatever you move onto and for our returning families, I look forward to welcoming you back in 2023.

Well done to the following students elected to represent each of our campuses' student cohorts. We are sure they will do amazing things in 2023 and we are all looking forward to it.

Our St Mary's Student Leaders for 2023 for each campus are:

This state-wide policy requires a Medication Authority Form to be completed by the student’s doctor or health practitioner and that any medication must have first been administered at home: a child must never have a medication for the first time at school. Parental permission is no longer sufficient for dispensing any form of medication. This applies to all over-the counter medication as well (e.g. Panadol, Naprogesic, Zyrtec, etc). The school is no longer permitted to keep a store of its own medication or to dispense any prescribed or over-the-counter medications without a Medical Authority Form signed by a doctor or registered health practitioner.

Information for families

The Australian Federal Police through the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation is seeing a concerning global trend of teenage males being targeted to send explicit images of themselves and then blackmailed. This is called sexual extortion, or sextortion. The AFP is urging families to have important safety conversations ahead of the school holidays to prevent young people from becoming victim. This crime can have serious wellbeing and psychological impacts.
How does sextortion start?

• Unsolicited friend and follow requests on social media
• Direct messages on one app and then being asked to keep chatting on a secondary app
• Conversations suddenly and quickly becoming sexualised
• Requests for sexualised images or content.

What can families do?

• Have open and regular conversations about your child’s online activities and interactions
• Know what platforms, apps and games they are using and who they are interacting with
• Remain open and approachable, victims will be reluctant to come forward if they feel they will be punished or blamed
• Ensure your child knows that it is okay to leave conversations if they feel uncomfortable or unsafe
• Support your child and know how to respond. The Online blackmail and sexual extortion
  response kit has been created to recognise sextortion and get help.

The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation is here to keep young people safe from online sexual exploitation and abuse.
You can make a report via accce.gov.au/report

For further information, resources and advice visit thinkuknow.org.au