Technology and Applied Studies

This year we welcomed two new teachers to the Department replacing teachers on leave, Jacques Willems who began in term 1 and Thao Nguyen-Trinh who began in Term. Both teachers bring wealth of experience to the TAS department. Ms Trinh has replaced Mrs Sonia Nesci and Ms Cheryl Rugg who have ably filled in as teachers of TAS in Term 1 and I thank them both for their professionalism and dedication.

Mr Jacques Willems has found the environment at OLMC very familiar having attended a Catholic High school in the Netherlands. He has been employed as our Hospitality specialist. His European background has meant he has been exposed to a variety of foods, including French cuisine and his parents were both chefs. Mr Willems has experience in landscape and garden design and has taught a number of subjects including Food Technology, Agriculture and Science. Mr Willems' main passion is food and hospitality.

Ms Nguyen-Trinh is excited to be working at OLMC community. She been teaching in TAS for over 25 years. Her passion lies within Textiles Technology, Food Technology as well as VET Hospitality. Her interest in Textiles first started in high school which led her to pursue a career in education in the TAS area. She has developed skills in garment construction specifically formal and bridal wear.

The TAS syllabus was revised in 2020 to reflect more current issues in the contemporary world particularly in the areas of Technology and Engineering.

Stage 4 students participate in four major units - Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Digital Technology and Materials Technology. Year 7 Food and Agriculture students have completed a project which required them to design a community garden using Minecraft Education and they have also participated in associated farm-to-table practical cooking activities. The Engineering students are looking at force and motion and are making a marionette puppet to demonstrate some of these principles.

In Digital Technology, students are using Adobe software and learning about coding while the Materials Technology students are producing an Eco-bag as an alternative to disposable shopping bags and are learning about plastic waste.

Design and Technology continues to flourish at the College and reflects an increasingly technological focus. Stage 5 students are designing a shop front and producing a scale model with laser-cut pieces. We are further investing in technology and have purchased a 3D scanner and printer. Our Year 11 students are focusing on the work of designers and gaining the skills needed for Year 12. Year 12 students have been busily preparing for their Major Design Project. They have identified a problem of practice based on a perceived need in society. They are engaging in experimentation and testing, applying conclusions drawn from these activities and developing a Major Design Project.

In Stage 5 Food Technology, students have been participating in a unit called Food Selection and Health. This unit focuses on healthy food, diet and nutrition. This year we had our own version of Master Chef and students were assessed in a practical cooking lesson on their skills demonstrated in the kitchen, organisation and presentation of their food product.

Stage 6 Hospitality is back in full swing this year after a slightly interrupted 2020. Students have been developing technical skills and knowledge of the modern hospitality industry through competency-based units such as Safe Food Handling. They also are in the process of participating in industry-based work experience. Students are using a range of food preparation and cookery skills to prepare food and menu items in line with Australian and New Zealand Food Standards Legislation.

Visual Arts

Stage 4 Visual Arts students are in the process of finishing their major projects and this year they are producing works on canvas board. Year 7 are creating an abstract landscape based on the study of both modern and contemporary artists. While year 8 is completing a unit called the Big Eats which focuses on the tradition of still life and food in art and includes the study of artist’s both traditional and modern. The paintings they are producing are based on a photograph that they have taken themselves.

Stage 5 Visual Arts Students are participating in a unit called Essence of Place. Students have been learning about Modern European and Australian artists with a focus on the landscape and are now completing a landscape painting in the style of their own choosing based on one of these artists.

In Stage 6 Visual Arts, students in Year 11 have just completed a unit exploring the object as art. Students selected an object and produced a series of works in a variety of media including digital works. This unit is designed to explore the skills that may need in Year 12. It is supported by the study of traditional, modern and contemporary artists. Our Year 12 students have been studying Pre Modernism and Modernism in preparation for their Year 12 HSC written examination. In conjunction with this, students are engaged in the making of a Body of Work for the HSC. This artwork or series of works is supported by a Visual Arts Process Diary which documents their exploration. Students can choose any concept and media area according to their interests and expertise.

In Stage 5 Photographic and Digital Media, students have been introduced to the practice of both wet and digital photography including exploring camera compositional techniques called ‘picture building’ to produce a series of photographs showing the student's world. These photographs have been inspired by the study of the famous Australian photographer Max Dupain.

Lastly, congratulations to five of our Year 11 Visual Arts students who were selected for the National Art School’s HSC Intensive Studio Practice 2021. This is a 1 Unit Board endorsed course that is conducted in the holidays where students receive training in their chosen field by lecturers at the College, most whom are artists. Selection is highly competitive and this is an outstanding achievement for these students and the first time OLMC has had five students selected. This prestigious opportunity will provide an invaluable learning experience for the students as they prepare for their HSC studies.

Stephen Dufty
Leader of Learning Art, Design and Technology

National Careers Week is a great opportunity to bring attention to the importance of career exploration. In conjunction with a mufti day, girls were invited to wear accessories linked to career paths and aspirations that their futures might hold. We were very fortunate to host two guest speakers this week who will address our Year 11 and Year 12 students at lunchtime on opportunities available in the event and construction industry. A big thank you to Ms Sue Max, General Manager (Venue Management) at VenueLive! and Ms Leonie So, Senior Project Manager (Building) at Lend Lease. Congratulations to all the girls who participated today and contributed to the fundraising effort for “Dress for Success”.

For senior school students wondering what are jobs of the future Job Outlook has comprised a list of the Top 10 jobs of the future. They are Aged and Disabled Carers, Registered Nurses, Child Carers, Welfare Support Workers, Software and Applications Programmers, Management and Organisation Analysts, Accountants, Primary School Teachers, Secondary School Teachers and Education Aides however there are also many other opportunities. Keep exploring!

Donna Jones
Careers and VET Co-ordinator

PARRAMATTA EISTEDDFOD

The Public Speaking season is well and truly underway, with many of our girls engaged in various events. First of all, well done to Sofie Del Rio and Crystal Win, both of Year 12, who participated in the Plain English competition. While the girls did not progress to the next round, they prepared well and should be proud of their efforts. Thank you in particular to Sofie, who stood in at the last moment when our original entrant was unable to be there on the day, but well done to both girls.

The Parramatta Eisteddfod is going ahead in 2021 after being cancelled last year because of the pandemic. Over 90 of our girls have taken the opportunity to be part of this extensive competition that is held over the next five weekends. On the first weekend, we had two girls in the Prepared Speaking event, with Shiloh Julien of Year 7 excelling in being declared second. Well done to Year 8 student Jasmine O’Brien who also performed very well. On the second weekend, OLMC had no fewer than thirty entrants and the awards kept coming. Both Gwen Penano and Zara Lewis of Year 7 were outstanding in winning their sections of Prepared Speaking, while Celina Wassef and Kaeshia Suthakaran, also of year 7, came second in their respective events. In an older age group, Demi Kalogeras of Year 10 was second in her Prepared Speaking section. Year 10 girls Olivia Easton and Freya Scothern were also runners-up in Telephone Pairs.Tenesha Navan and Emily Johnson of Year 7 gained third place in Prepared Speaking while Jiya Shah was fourth. Year 7 students continued to shine, with Georgia Draiby, Abera Satyajith and Zoe Samar all receiving Highly Commended certificates, as did Year 8 girls London Ardeleanu and Sandy Elia of Year 10. A fantastic result for our girls and many weeks of competition still ahead.

While they might not have been among the prizewinners, we also congratulate Zivelle Seasay, Jacintha Prasad, Vishnu Gude, Teresa-Maree Saba and Ojasvi Yadav, all of Year 7, who all prepared and performed very well. Finally, well done also to Bettyna Mostoles, Nishitha Ravipudi, Jheyanne Mostoles, Roshni Singh, Alanah Issa, Vidushi Trivedi of Year 10 and Kyra Parikh and Moana Tuala of Year 11 who all participated in the Telephone Pairs event.

DEBATING

The last two weeks have been quite challenging but our girls have risen to that challenge and come away with some very pleasing results. Two weeks ago, our Year 9 and 10 were decimated because of a camp, losing fourteen out of sixteen regular members, but we were fortunate to have many Year 7 and 8 girls who stepped up two year levels to make sure we did not forfeit any debates to St Pius X at Chatswood. Special thanks to Siobhan Cassin, Ashlyn Kumar, Juliana Merioles and Jemima Scothern, who are not even in a debating team but also filled in at Chatswood. The following week, at Catherine McCauley College at Westmead, all our debaters were back and our results were very good, winning seven out of twelve debates.

Results after three rounds are as follows:

7A (Vishnu Gude, Isabel Homairi, Celeste Ieronimo, Shiloh Julien, Sofia Tong) 3 wins

7B (A’ishah Ali, Lizzy Butler, Pia Gorada, Bianca Mina, Celina Wassef) 3 wins

8A (Isabella Cotter, Kaira Dasgupta, Bronte Herbertson, Sierra Lake, Jennifer Wang) 1 win

8B (Alexandra Attard, Gabby Fleming, Kristina Fry, Stefanie Gabriele, Jasmine O’Brien) 2 wins

9A (Megan Keller, Isabella Samaha, Neha Sharma, Jasmine Velasco) 1 win

9B (Zoe Borger, Tia Monga, Summer Rayne Roughley, Alyssa Taouk) 2 wins

10A (Olivia Easton, Arlene Kumar,Tijana Pavlovic, Freya Scothern) 2 wins

10B (Sophie Assad, Niamh Nolan, Ruwindri Parndigamage, Hayden Rodewald) 2 wins

11A (Sarah D’Souza, Samantha Emeish, Stephanie Ogle, Sophia Santos) 1 win

11B (Tvesa Agrawal, Mikayla Simpson, Tarni Sutton, Cassidy Turrell) 1 win

12 A (Sabrina Catania, Sofie Del Rio, Anne Nguyen, Riley Rodewald) 2 wins

12 B (Sakshi Chouta, Iris McKenna, Maeve Nolan, Jeeviha Sangar) 3 wins

As always, thank you to our coaches and supporters as well. A welcome back also to ex-student Alison McGuirk, who has returned to assist with adjudication. Over the next two weeks, we take on Marist Eastwood and Mt St Benedict’s, both at home. Good luck to all.

Christopher Ostrowski

Debating and Public Speaking Coordinator

Golf

Congratulations to Annoushka Maikap for some awesome results on the Golf Course recently. Her results include - Illawarra Junior Masters (8th), Bathurst Peter O'Malley Junior Masters (5th), Wagga Wagga Junior masters (4th) and Stonecutters Ridge Golf Club Ladies Stroke Champion! Well done Annoushka!

AMCC Gym

The AMCC Gym is open for students in Years 9 – 12 to use before school – 7:45 to 8:30am, Monday, Wednesday & Friday.

If students would like to use the gym (free of charge), please CLICK HERE  to sign up.

Saturday Netball

A reminder for all parents and spectators at Saturday netball to sign in using the QR codes on the back of the scoresheets.

ERNA would also like to remind everyone to be aware of parking on Saturdays and to avoid parking across driveways.

If you are a Member of Ryde Eastwood Leagues Club you can enter your details and RELC member number into the ERNA netball folder located at the front desk of the Leagues Club to be included in a draw.

The rounds 3 and 4 results can be viewed here – http://erna.nsw.netball.com.au/common/pages/public/rv/draw.aspx

Saturday Soccer

Here are the results from rounds 3 and 4 -

Round 3:

Grounds closed due to rain.

Round 4:

OLMC 1 defeated Loreto Normanhurst, 7 - 3

OLMC 2 defeated Meriden, 5 - 4

OLMC 3 were defeated by Abbotsleigh, 6 - 1

OLMC College Athletics Carnival – Friday May 21, 2021

The 2021 College Athletics Carnival is back and will be held at the Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Warm Up Arena. The College Athletics Carnival provides a wonderful opportunity for students to participate in a range of track and field events, whilst enthusiastically supporting their House. The students are encouraged to show their House Spirit by dressing up in their house colours and by cheering on their House at the Carnival.

ALL STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO ATTEND THE CARNIVAL AS THIS IS A COMPULSORY EVENT and NORMAL SCHOOL DAY.

All students will be transported by bus from OLMC to the Athletic Centre at Homebush and back to OLMC. All students are expected to be at the College by 8am on the day of the Carnival. Students will assemble in their House areas with their Homeroom Teacher, then move out to the buses. Students will be leaving the Athletic Centre at around approximately 2:15pm, with an approximate arrival time of around 3pm at OLMC Parramatta. Students will be dismissed upon arrival back at school.

Students who wish to be considered for selection in the PDSSSC Athletics Carnival will need to have registered their entry via the entry form that has been emailed to all students. Students that want to compete in the Javelin will need to register and then, on the day, be on the first bus leaving OLMC. Once at the venue, go straight to this event as it will be conducted from 8:45am before the rest of the Carnival.

Students do not need to sign up for 100m, 200m, 400m or 800m Walk. Students must sign up if they wish to compete in the field events, 800m and 1500m.

The Carnival layout will be a Traditional Carnival and students will need to listen out for when their events are called. Students are encouraged to have adequate water, food and sun protection. Appropriate attire will be needed. Students who compete in Spikes must wear 7mm spikes.

No student is to bring their notebook to school with them on Friday as they will not be taking the notebooks to the track. Phones will also need to be left at school. Unfortunately, parents won't be able to attend the carnival as SOPAC still has COVID restrictions on numbers attending.

A canteen will be available however, students are highly encouraged to bring their own food for the Carnival.

Staff and students are also encouraged to drink water throughout the carnival (especially if competing in lots of events) so that they remain adequately hydrated. Staff and students are also encouraged to make use of sufficient sun protection including sunscreen, wide-brim hats and long sleeve garments as well as following COVID guidelines on social distancing and using hand hygiene throughout the carnival. Anyone that is feeling unwell should not attend the carnival.

If for any reason, such as illness, your daughter is unable to attend, please call the College office (9683 3300) after 8am. A medical certificate is required for all absences. All absences will be followed up. In the case of wet weather as it is a wet weather track the Carnival will still go ahead. If in case of extreme weather conditions a final decision will be made in the morning.

Stuart Guthrie
Sports Coordinator

Opening Hours and Purchases: The Uniform Shop is open Monday to Thursday, from 8.00am – 9.30am, and 3.00pm – 4.30pm on Monday and Wednesday (school days only).

Online purchases can be made via the Online Uniform Shop (https://shop.olmc.nsw.edu.au/) and all orders will be delivered to the Student Centre for collection by students.

Winter Uniform: Students are to wear their winter uniform during Term 2 and Term 3.  For the senior winter uniform, the long sleeve shirt is optional.

Scarves: There are scarves available for purchase either online or at the Shop.

Tights: The Uniform Shop has tights available for purchase with the winter uniform.  If you are purchasing these elsewhere, the requirement is 70 denier opaque, colour - Ink Navy.

Old College Uniforms: If you have any old-style College uniforms (green and white/red), these items can be returned to the Uniform Shop for recycling.

Black Tights" The Uniform Shop has a small amount of black tights available for purchase for use outside of school, they are Kayser, 50 denier, opaques tights, $5.00 each. There are only 2 sizes available, M or XLarge.  These tights are not available online, and can only be purchased by visiting the uniform shop.

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

CLICK HERE TO RSVP

Mother’s Day Stall

Thank you for your generous support of the Sisters of Mercy mission in Candela, Peru. Over $900 was raised from the sale of the beautiful handicrafts. What a wonderful result!

This money has been sent to women in Candela so they can continue to provide food, clothing, medicine and education for their children.

During this time of COVID, the poor and vulnerable living in places such as Candela find life a difficult challenge. The pandemic has caused increased pressure on the below standard health system and the government does not support those who are the most at risk from catching the virus. Your support is most appreciated. A soup kitchen has been set up to provide meals for those in need.

Mary Rajca (Mission and Formation Educator for the Sisters of Mercy, North Sydney)   

Stewardship Leader

What are the key responsibilities of your Portfolio? Organising stewardship initiatives and events, chairing EcOLMC meetings and promoting sustainable practice at the College.

What is your vision as Leader of this Portfolio in 2020/21? My vision is to work with the Mission team in order to address the intersectionality between all social justice issues so students can be inspired to support a cause they are passionate about in order to create more informed involvement and longer-lasting social change.

What would be a good theme song for your life? Why? ‘Power Up' by Red Velvet encourages listeners to do what they want regardless of social pressure. It has an upbeat style too.

What are your interests outside of school? I enjoy learning about philosophy, playing instruments, listening to music, reading, and watching films.

Mother Daughter Mass

Our annual Mass was held on Monday 10 May in the College's Edith Angel Hall and was a lovely celebration of the Eucharist led by College Chaplain, Fr Walter Fogarty. Thank you to the many girls and mothers who assisted on the day. The Mass was brought to life by the Music Department who led us through a moving liturgy. Thank you to Mrs Clair-Maree Simpson who provided her Mercy Mother’s Reflection, and thank you to those who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the success of the afternoon.

Mothers were each given a scented cake of soap: these had been purchased through the Buy from the Bush website. The company, Clover Fields, is a company run by a mother and daughter which was very fitting for our celebration!

Year 10 Reflection Day

Held on May 6, this was a day where students examined the theme of ‘Compassion and Justice.’ We were delighted to have the Catherine McAuley Alumnae Award recipient, Kim Pearce, present on the day to share her wonderful work with The Possibility Project. Kim, and cofounder Kath, work hard to share their beliefs that everything we do sits within four attitudes - anything is possible, we already have the resources needed to create change, everyone has a gift to offer and true value is created through collaboration. 

Girls rotated through three sessions that examined these ideas and we shared a prayer together, considering our place in the world and how our decisions can impact others.

World Bee Day

We will be celebrating World Bee Day on Thursday 20 May at school by selling crumpets with honey for breakfast outside the kitchens. The EcoOLMC girls will also lead a beeswax wrap-making session at lunchtime.

The success of bees and other pollinators depends on them finding suitable plants on which to land in order to enable pollination and reproduction. Without bees, we would lose many types of flowers and plants. You can read more about The B and B Highway here.

Recycling Stations

We have placed a recycling station in the College for the continued collection of a range of items that are able to be recycled and repurposed. We will be collecting the following:

• Bottle lids (not push top)
• Bread tags
• Stockings and panty hose
• Blister packs (like empty Panadol silver packs)

The recycling station has been placed in the open space between the Brigid Shelly and Francis Kearney playgrounds. Thank you to the Property Services team for making this station for us to use!

Gabrielle Scanlon
Director of Mission