At the end of a busy Term 2, Languages students participated in some engaging learning tasks.

Year 10 and Year 12 Japanese students learned about Furoshiki. This is the Japanese art of cloth wrapping. Furoshiki is a square piece of cloth or fabric used for gift wrapping, carrying items, fashion and other objects. What a fun way to end the term learning to wrap gifts and about the history of this Japanese art which is more than 1,200 years old! Thank you to Ms Eri Hammond for providing this activity. This also provided an opportunity to recycle some fabrics and discover a new environmentally friendly way to wrap your gifts!

Year 7 French and Spanish classes created wonderful Family Albums. This showcased their learning of the language since the start of the year. Some very creative and detailed albums were produced which were used as a point of discussion and ‘show and tell’ at the recent Parent-Teacher Conferences.

Mrs Sheila Ibarra
Head of Languages

Students from OLMC and other local schools will have creative works on display at the first-ever CreateWEST exhibition at PHIVE (5 Parramatta Square). We will be joined by TAFENSW, Western Sydney University and Parramatta Artists Studios to exhibit a range of works from across our region, highlighting the creative talent shown by our young people.

Entry is free and it is open from 9:30am-2:30pm, so please feel free to drop in when it suits you throughout the day. There will be a short welcome and some talks by artists at 9:30 and several artists will be present across the day to speak with visitors about their work.

So save the date and tell your family and friends about CreateWEST!

For more information or to share details please click here. 

Last term, we launched the Mercy Multicredential, a new pilot program designed to help students build a portfolio of evidence that will convert into a real and useful qualification well before they graduate in Year 12. They can take this qualification with them into job interviews, scholarship discussions and university applications.

It is different to microcredentials that are currently offered by other organisations as we do not require students to enrol in new courses, but rather we recognise the amazing growth and learning that already occurs at OLMC.

Another key benefit of this approach is that students can gather evidence from across their school experience (such as co-curricular and external events) in order to build a rich and diverse portfolio of evidence.

Students can go to the Mercy Multicredential course in Canvas and explore the badges available. If they are entering for the first time, they will need to complete the Personal Growth Badge – Foundation Level before they can proceed to the next layer of badges.

By completing all badges, students can choose to convert their portfolio into a Certificate I level qualification with an additional fee during Term 4. We will schedule periods of time where students can download and submit their portfolio to the appropriate location as the program unfolds.

For more information, please click here. 

MASSH is our afterschool students’ study, homework and assessment support. We offer general study support and subject-specific support every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 3:30pm to 5:30pm.

Subject-specific support is available on the days below:

• Monday – Technology, Religious Studies and all junior subject support
• Tuesday – Mathematics and English
• Wednesday and Thursday – Science and Mathematics
• English support is available upon request for Wednesdays.

If you would like small group or individual academic support please contact Mrs Rugg, cheryl.rugg@olmc.nsw.edu.au with the following details:

• Name and Year group
• Subject the student would like to work on with a MASSH Supervisor
• Preferred afternoons.

OLMC is launching a new student support program and we are looking for volunteers from the community who are willing to work with our Diverse Learning team to support our students with their assessments and exams.

Starting with our Reader and Writer Program, we are looking for community members who can support our students on various days during Year 10, 11 or 12 assessment blocks. Full training will be provided.

A few requirements are needed including:

• A volunteer Working with Children Check
• An ability to work with a range of students in exam settings.

Unfortunately, this volunteer opportunity is not open to parents or siblings of current Year 11 and 12 students, but we hope that as this program develops you will join us in future years.

For information, questions and expressions of interest please contact Monica Searle, Head of Diverse Learning - monica.searle@olmc.nsw.edu.au

There is so much happening in Careers during Term 3. We have had a few universities visit us over lunchtime to talk about courses and early entry opportunities. Last week we had UNSW and this week we have Notre Dame and ACU visiting. The students enjoyed the sessions with high attendance rates.

General News

ACU Open Days

29 July - 9 September 2023

Open Day is the perfect opportunity to find out more about your study options, meet our friendly staff and students and explore our campuses.

We look forward to welcoming you to our 2023 Open Days.

Blacktown
Saturday, 29 July
10am – 2pm

North Sydney
Saturday, 5 August
10am – 2pm

Strathfield
Saturday, 9 September
10am – 2pm

Find out more

American author, John C. Maxwell wrote 'Motivation gets you going, but discipline keeps you growing. That’s the Law of Consistency. It doesn’t matter how talented you are. It doesn’t matter how many opportunities you receive. If you want to grow, consistency is key.' Unfortunately, many believe that to succeed in life, we need to find an endless supply of motivation. Yes, motivation is a major driving force behind starting on the pathway to achieving your goal, but it is rituals, routines, habits and discipline that will keep you going.

It is normal for motivation to wax and wane over time, habits are more reliable. Creating a habit eliminates unnecessary decision-making. Habits help us do the right things and move closer to the goals that really matter.

To develop habits there are a few simple rules to follow:

1. Decide whether you can commit to forming a new habit. It is helpful to remember the opportunity costs that everything brings. For example, each hour you spend studying is an hour taken away from other activities such as sleep, exercise, and socialising. Everything we commit to has a cost and we all must consider whether the benefits of a new habit outweigh the costs.
2. Keep it simple, start small and stay consistent. The best new habits are those that are achievable. We are unlikely to be able to commit to studying for an hour a day but will probably find more success if we commit to starting with 30 minutes, three times a week. It may not seem like much or an ideal amount, but it is better than nothing, and you can increase this amount over time as the habit becomes more established. It is better to form one new habit at a time, to avoid overwhelming yourself.
3. One of the best ways to build a new habit is to identify a current habit you already do each day and then stack your new behavior on top. This is called habit stacking. If you want to add study into your afternoon routine, you could add it to a current habit you practice. For example, perhaps your current routine when you arrive home is to get a snack and unpack your bag. In addition to that you could start a habit that introduces study, where you unpack your resources onto your desk and sit and commence study for 30 minutes. Because you are already doing the other things routinely, adding the study is not quite so challenging.

If you think your daughter may benefit from prioritising habits over motivation, share this article with her. For further advice, please reach out to one of the College Counsellors.

Mrs Sandra Portela
Senior College Counsellor

Elevate Education will be hosting its first free webinar of the term for parents on Wednesday, 2 August.

Elevate Education works with our students, delivering high impact workshops on study skills, motivation, wellbeing and exam preparation. By tuning into their webinar series, you will learn how you can help better support your children at home through reinforcing the skills they learn at school. 
Click here to register for free

Here’s what Elevate will be covering on the night:

• What impact does praise and reassurance have on your child’s motivation?
• What are the best type of goals to be setting with your child? 
• How can you help your child create meaningful and lasting motivation?

To learn more about learning collaboratively to maximise your potential and create a well-rounded academic experience access the Study Skills Handbook by logging in with the details below.

username: OLMC

password: 64results

Father Daughter Mass

Information Gateway Upgrades

The Public Speaking and Debating sites on Information Gateway provide our girls with detailed information and examples of each of the many competitions we are involved in throughout the year. An additional feature will be actual videos of many of our best public speakers so that other students can see what can be achieved. Already, video recordings of Sofia Tong (Impromptu Speaking), Sierra Lake (Christmas Competition) and A’ishah Ali and Matilda Webb (Telephone Pairs) have been recorded and will soon be available for all to view. Many more videos will be produced soon, giving all girls wonderful examples of outstanding performances.  

Upcoming Events

This Friday, highly talented speakers Amariah Tamaro of Year 8 and Matilda Webb of Year 9 will participate in the first round of the Legacy competition. In addition, 30 students are involved in the Speaking 4 the Planet competition in August. Good luck to all girls.

Christopher Ostrowski
Debating and Public Speaking Coordinator    

Saturday Netball

OLMC has been scheduled for Table and Canteen Duty on 12 August. If you are willing and able to help on that day, details have been emailed to students with a link to a roster.

You can continue to check the Netball fixtures, results and ladders by clicking here. 

The ERNA Netball season will finish with Round 14 games being played on 19 August. Teams finishing in the top four places of each grade will play Finals on 26 August. The winning teams then play Semi-Finals on 2 September and the Grand Final on 9 September.

Stuart Guthrie
Sports Coordinator

Opening Hours

The Uniform Shop will be open Monday to Thursday, from 8.00am – 9.30am and Monday - Wednesday from 3.00pm – 4.00pm (school days only).  

Online purchases can be made via the Online Uniform Shop and all orders will be delivered to the Student Centre for collection by students.  

Scarves and Hair Ribbons 

Scarves and hair ribbons have arrived and are available for purchase either online or at the Uniform Shop. 

Previous stock for Sale

Sharp Calculators - The Uniform Shop has a small batch of the previous Sharp calculators for sale at a discounted rate of $10.00 – available while stocks last!

Black tights - In size Medium, $2

Reminder

Just a reminder that all online orders are taken to the Student Centre for students to collect. 

If you have any concerns regarding uniform items, please don't hesitate to contact the Uniform Shop on 8838 1275 or uniformshop@olmc.nsw.edu.au

College Fees

College fees were due on Friday,  21 July 2023.  If your account remains outstanding, please ensure that the Finance Office receives payment promptly.

Any queries on fees can be directed to the Finance Office on 8838 1214 between 8.00am - 4.00pm or email finance@olmc.nsw.edu.au