Lucie Farrugia, Principal

Last week we held our Father-Daughter Mass. It allowed us to reflect on the wonderful role that our dads play in our lives. I wanted to share with you the speech that I delivered.

Last month my family and I commemorated the 9th anniversary of my Father’s death. His absence in our lives is still felt day to day because his love, humour, wisdom and mercy were the hallmarks of this great man.

My Dad wasn’t famous, nor did he have a powerful job that earned a lot of money. He was a family man, who was orphaned early in his life and took responsibility for the many brothers and sisters he had. He bravely moved them, with his young bride (my Mum) and my brother, then aged 2 years old from Egypt to Australia back in the 1950s for the promise of a better life. Like many men in his generation, he was a pioneer for this developing country we call home. Creating that better life was achieved and my Dad died with an intense love for Australia and what it could provide for his family.

My father wanted for his children, what every father wants - that they are provided for, well-educated and able to take their rightful place in Australian society or indeed in a global society.   He wants to see his children succeed and especially be happy and content with the life choices that await them. He wants to know that when hard times fall on his children, they will come to him for support, and when they cannot do this, they will have the capacity and resilience to come through those times and bounce back to life.  

The love between a father and his children is sometimes unspoken and sometimes challenging for both the grown man and his children – particularly when his children become teenagers. It is difficult to acknowledge that his little girl has become quite the young woman, in what seems to be a blink of an eye.

I offer you this, as one who misses her dad often - treasure the moments, not just the highlights. Treasure today with us at OLMC…take it all in and remember it, share the story of today with those in your family this evening and beyond. Girls, take a visual snapshot of your dad’s face today and dads do that with your daughters too…so you’ll hold dear to your hearts that you shared this moment…today in your wonderful and ever-changing relationship as father and daughter.

College Assembly

College Assemblies are always special at OLMC. As a community, we get together and celebrate the many achievements of our students.  Our last Assembly held a fortnight ago, left me and hopefully all students and staff experienced, with a true sense of connectedness and positivity. It made me so proud to be the Principal of this great school.

During the Assembly, we celebrated many achievements including our girls winning first place at the Metro Minds STEAM Challenge and the successes of students in The Living Stories Western Sydney Writing Prize. Our College Orchestra, led by Ms Belinda Angilletta, was incredible. They performed lively and upbeat pieces. One of our very talented alumnae, Carla Wehbe (Class of 2011) visited and sang her brand new single ‘Is Forever Off The Table?’. To say she has a beautiful voice is an understatement. She captivated our girls. The Assembly ended with an emotionally charged rendition of the Alma Mater. This was the first time since COVID, that the College song was sung at an assembly!

Jersey Day

The College was awash with a sea of colours last Friday with students and staff wearing their favourite jersey for Jersey Day. Tim Mannah, retired Parramatta Eels Rugby League player, joined us to support awareness of organ donation. Jersey Day has been inspired by the gift of life that Nathan Gremmo gave to six people when he became an organ donor at age 13. To register to be an organ or tissue donor, please join the Australian Donor Register

P&F Cocktail Party

What a wonderful evening we had last Friday at the P&F Cocktail Party. Despite the cold weather, many parents came along to meet new parents and others reconnected with old friends.

Many thanks to the P&F and to all parents who joined us for the evening. Thanks must also go to our wonderful Year 12 Hospitality students and staff, Mrs Nguyen Tring and Ms Kim Spits who prepared and served the delicious food.

Ms Lucie Farrugia
College Principal

 


Bishop of Parramatta’s Awards for Student Excellence

Congratulations to Bernadette Grima who was awarded the 2022 Bishop of Parramatta’s Student excellence Award for 2022. Bishop Vincent presented the award during a ceremony held in St Patrick’s Cathedral. Jessica Abrahams, from Year 11, read out the citation, an extract is included below:

Bernadette is a person of action who shares her faith and many skills generously with others. She is a natural leader with a warm personality and has been involved in various school-based activities including: Max Potential, Mock Trial, sporting teams and the Tech Crew. She is a conscientious and dedicated student who does her best at all times.

Thank you to Jessica, Mrs Bell and Ms Farrugia who were there on the night to see Bernadette receive this award.

Mercy Day

A final reminder to the College community about Mercy Day which we are celebrating on Friday, 16 September. The theme for the Mass is Women of Courage and all money raised will be donated to Mercy Works for use in programs and initiatives they run to help women and children live lives of security and dignity.

 

One of these projects is in PNG in the Simbu Province. It focusses on addressing specific needs of the community such as life skills and technical training; strengthening of community self-help groups or cooperatives, rehabilitation activities for prisoners in Barawagi Prison, a radio program across the Highlands and agricultural and farming activities.

Father-Daughter Mass

The Annual Father-Daughter Mass was a true celebration of faith and love and was held in the Mother Clare Dunphy Memorial Chapel on Friday, 2 September. Fr Walter led the Mass which was accompanied by beautiful music provided by the Music Department. Thank you to all of the staff and students who assisted. It was wonderful to be able to join once again for this Mass in our Chapel which was almost at capacity.

Mr Matt Nolan (father of Maeve, Niamh and Frankie) shared his reflections on being a Mercy dad. He shared his understanding about the variety of activities OLMC offers which have allowed each of his daughters to find things that they enjoy and excel at. To read Matt's speech, please click on the Show More button below: 

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Mobile Phones – Love them or hate them, we can control them if we all work together.

We all recognise that mobile phones are an easy way for people to stay in touch, however, ongoing research indicates that mobile phones should not be used in school during the day. The ability for young people to ‘switch off’ from social media and other distractions, means they are more engaged in their learning and can create real friendships. There is also evidence of a decrease in the incidence of bullying.

OLMC has a Personal Electronic Devices Policy which covers the appropriate use by students of personal electronic devices including, but not limited to, mobile phones, smart watches, fitness watches, tablets, and handheld games. Any policy, however, is only useful if all members of the community adhere to it. The main expectations we have are:

  • Students, with the exception of Year 12 in lessons designated by their teachers, may not use mobile phones or similar devices while on College grounds from the time a student arrives at school to the end of the school day
  • Devices that are brought to school must be on silent or turned off, securely locked in the student’s locker and must not be accessed during the school day
  • Students are also not permitted to have earphones or earbuds in their ears at recess or lunch and when walking around the College grounds.

In the last few weeks, staff have been reinforcing these rules, however, students often tell us the reason they have their phone on them is they need to get a message from their parent/carer or need to pay for their lunch. I would ask for your assistance by doing the following:

  • Have a conversation with your daughter about the policy and why she, as a member of the College community, must follow it (or she is likely to be on a Monday afternoon detention)
  • If you need to contact your daughter during the day, please only ring the Student Centre on 8838 1213
  • Ensure your daughter has her key card or cash to pay for items at the canteen.

Social Media and Apps used by students

Parents and carers all too often tell me they are worried about the daughter’s use of social media.  Sadly, this is usually after their daughter has been involved in or been the victim of online bullying or inappropriate behaviour. As a College, we want to empower our parents/careers with the knowledge and the ability to have a conversation with their daughter/s. 

Some useful links are resources for you are:

https://www.esafety.gov.au/key-issues/esafety-guide - which gives parents information about Apps such as Snapchat, Tik Tok and Discord.

https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/resources and specifically parents/ careers should be taking time to view:

 

Galmatic

On Tuesday 30 September, Year 12 took part in a workshop delivered by Galmatic. Galmatic provide specialised training and education on car maintenance. The aim of this workshop is to empower the girls with knowledge and skills.

The girls also received access to a Glovebox Guide designed to be downloaded straight onto a mobile phone and is a ‘how-to’ checklist covering such things as:

Panic attacks - what they are and what can help - Ms Chloe Gresham - School Counsellor

When the body is faced with immediate danger (perceived or otherwise), the brain orders the autonomic nervous system to activate an important survival mechanism, called the ‘fight or flight’ response. A range of chemicals including adrenaline flood the body which trigger physiological changes. For instance, blood is shifted to the muscles to prepare to run away or fight.

 

A panic attack occurs when this survival response is triggered but there is no real danger that is about to happen. Panic attacks can happen to anybody and in and of themselves are not a psychiatric condition. This ‘false alarm’ can be very frightening, and you may feel a strong desire to escape the situation. They can occur frequently and unexpectedly and are not necessarily related to any external threat. They can last from only a few minutes to half an hour, but the physical and emotional effects can linger for hours later. 

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Sport and Co-curricular Photographs

MSP Photography attended the College on the 19 August to take Sports and Co-curricular Photographs.

This week, a letter will be sent to every student involved in these group photographs. It will contain instructions on where families can view and order the photos.

Debating

Intraschool Debating

As the preliminary rounds of this competition wind down over the next week, all teams need to be complimented on the quality of their preparation. I have received many comments from adjudicators about the exceptional standard of speakers but that couldn’t happen without the additional support of those girls acting as coaches. Well done to all.

Special mention goes to Year 11 student Ella McGirr who kindly stepped in at short notice as an adjudicator and also to Cassidy Turrell who has become a mainstay of the adjudication panel.

The new trophies for the two divisions of Intraschool Debating have arrived and in Term 4, semi-finals and finals will decide which names are the first ones to be inscribed on them. Those making the finals will be announced early in Term 4.

 

 

Public Speaking

This Saturday, 17 of our girls are competing in the Soroptimist Public Speaking Competition. Judging by the quality of their speeches, the College is certain to be among the placegetters in the various sections we are contesting. Good luck to all.

Also next week, the eight girls competing in the Australian Debating and Public Speaking Titles will be submitting two of their events on video: their Prepared Speeches and Interpretive Readings. The following week will revert to Zoom in the Debating and Impromptu Speaking sections. This event is very demanding but the selected girls have the talent to match it with the best student speakers in Australia. Results will be announced in the next edition of Parragraph.

Christopher Ostrowski
Debating and Public Speaking Coordinator

IGSA Choral Festival

On 12-14 August, we participated in the Independent Girls’ School Association Choral Festival. Over the three days, we were required to sight read many different pieces from all different periods and styles of music, including works by Vivaldi and Brahms. We rehearsed with the orchestra and watched professional singers perform different pieces. The Festival concluded with a concert before family and friends of the works studied on the Sunday at Queenwood School, Mosman. Our second concert was on 4 September from 3.30-4.30 p.m. at St James’ Church, Sydney.

Highlights included learning from professional singers and tutors, including a professional opera singer, and singing a new and contemporary arrangement of Waltzing Matilda. The chance to meet new people from across Sydney and share common interests was also a great experience (as was the beautiful venue).

We would like to thank Ms Farrugia and Mrs Angilletta, as well as the organisers of the event for giving us the opportunity to participate in the Festival.

Isabelle Liew, Haynin Lai, Rachael Gock and Selena Madrio

 

 

Sport

Saturday Netball

On Saturday 27 August, OLMC 1 and OLMC 7 played in the ERNA Grand Final! The girls all played exceptionally well but unfortunately, both teams finished as Runners Up. Both games were a joy to watch and the support was electric. OLMC 1 were so close, leading the whole game until the last 5 minutes, finishing 1 point behind.

Well done to everyone for the season and thank you to all the parents and friends for your support.

Wednesday Touch Football

The Wednesday Touch Football season has now commenced. The draw and results can be found here – https://touchfootball.com.au/Competitions/Competition/2022-open-real-estate-15-girls-421051

School Sport Australia Cross Country

Congratulations to Lucie Francis who recently competed at the School Sport Australia Cross Country Championships in Adelaide from August 26 – 29. Despite the muddy conditions, Lucie performed exceptionally well finishing 30th in the 16/17 Years division and 3rd in the Cross Country Relay. Well done Lucie!

 

 

NSWCCC Cricket

OLMC competed at the NSWCCC Junior Girls Cricket Regional Championships on Monday, August 29 at Gannon’s Park Peakhurst. The team consisted of Sharon Julien, Shalini Kanagasundaram, Madison Stewart, Jaaniya Shah, Teyana La Brooy, Shiloh Julien, Jemima Scothern and Rhea Bindroo. The girls should be so proud of their efforts as they easily defeated every school they faced (St Scholastica’s, St Marys Star of the Sea, Clancy College & Magdalene College) scoring over 80 runs in every match, winning by 20-40 runs, even completely dismissing 2 teams. The games were a pleasure to watch and the girls were all so grateful and encouraging.

The NSWCCC Finals are in October. Good luck girls!

 

 

PDSSSC Golf

Congratulations to Annoushka Maikap who won the PDSSSC Golf Tournament on Thursday, 1 September at Glenmore Park Heritage Valley with a net score of 80! Well done Annoushka.

 

 

CGSSSA Dance

On Wednesday, 24 August, 15 students from Years 7-10 attended the CGSSSA Dance Championships at Santa Sabina College. 

The students who represented OLMC were Stella Kemmis, Kari Traynor, Charlotte Dawson, Emma Biviano, Jorgia Abdisho, Zoe Winthrop, Adrianne Sultana, Gabby Fleming, Lexie Elphinstone, Zara Lewis, Ashlyn Kumar, Jemima Scothern, Caitlin Velasquez, Ava Caruso and Kokoda Mahony.

Our Year 10 Dance class had terrific success and was awarded 2nd place in the Contemporary section.

The OLMC Dance Company performed an upbeat jazz routine and we had two senior soloists, Emma Biviano & Jorgia Abdisho, and one junior soloist, Ava Caruso. Well done to all our dancers and a big thankyou to Miss Ieroianni & Mr Jones for all their help with the girls.

 

Mr Stuart Guthrie
Sports Coordinator