Hearts News (Week 6, Thursday 8 June 2023)

Celebrating the Feast Day of St Marcellin Champagnat with students from Cardijn College.

To our Sacred Heart College community

On 6 June every year, we celebrate the Feast Day of St Marcellin Champagnat, our Founder and the Patron Saint of Education and Teachers, who was canonised by Pope John Paul II in 1999. 

On Wednesday this week we gathered to celebrate Mass at Marcellin Campus, followed by a celebration on Thursday at Champagnat Campus. At both, our staff and students representing our community on Immersion to the Philippines and Fiji later this year were commissioned and blessed. 

The Feast Day of our Founder provides an opportunity for us to reflect on the privilege it is to be a part of the global Marist family, and as we commissioned and blessed those heading off on Immersion later in the year, we gave thanks for our Marist Mission, our willingness to “go to the margins”, and our determination to make Jesus Christ known and loved.

Marcellin spoke often of our relationships. He said, “to bring up children properly, we must love them, and love them all equally”. This virtue of love therefore, became distinctive in the Marist approach to education. It was of course the way of Jesus’ first disciple, Mary, and would therefore underpin what it means to be Marist. 

The relationship of Marcellin to Mary was deeply marked by total trust in her, as the “Good Mother”, because it was her work that he undertook. The motto attributed to our Founder by his biographer, “All to Jesus through Mary, all to Mary for Jesus”, captures the relationship between the Son and the Mother and Champagnat’s attitude of confidence in Mary, which we are all invited to live. 

As we celebrate the Feast of our Founder, I share with you a letter from Dr Frank Malloy, National Director of Marist Schools Australia, and Ms Rebecca Bromhead, CEO of Australian Marist Solidarity here. 

Daniel Lynch
Principal

Feast of St Marcellin Champagnat

The Feast of Saint Marcellin Champagnat celebrates the connection we have at Sacred Heart College, to the global Marist family. St Marcellin started primary schools in the country areas of France over 200 years ago to give an education to children who would not normally have received the opportunity. To understand what it means to be Marist, we can recall Marcellin’s famous motto: “All to Jesus through Mary, all to Mary for Jesus.” 

Both campuses celebrated this occasion with a whole-campus Mass. The student cohort was also introduced to the 28 Year 11 students who will represent Sacred Heart College on the Immersion trips to Fiji or the Philippines in November/December this year. These students were chosen following a rigorous selection process and they follow in the footsteps of many others before them; the first Immersion team of five students and two adults travelled to India on Boxing Day of 1995.

The students this year will be accompanied by six Sacred Heart College staff members: Mr Salerno, Ms Schar and Ms McLean from Champagnat Campus and Mr Harrison, Ms Sandow and Ms Jasper from Marcellin Campus.

‘Be a Voice for Generations’ – National Reconciliation Week 2023

The 26 May marked National Sorry Day, a day that we as a College remember and acknowledge the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families and communities. The College came together in a commemorative Liturgy in which we reflected on the Bringing them Home report, the first official Sorry Day in 1998, and the 2008 Formal Apology to the Stolen Generations. The day was solemn and reflective, and the support for the students in the Nunga Room was abundant. 

National Reconciliation Week followed from 27 May-3 June, exploring the theme, ‘Be a Voice for Generations.‘ The week serves as a time for Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute towards achieving reconciliation in Australia. It was a week for reflection and reverence for the members of the Aboriginal Hearts Program, as well as a time to connect and celebrate.

The week was filled with activities at both Champagnat and Marcellin campuses that allowed students to engage with some cultural practices; cooking kangaroo stew and making wattleseed damper, singing, bracelet making with yarn, and painting story stones. At the Marcellin Reconciliation Assembly the Nunga Room students sung ‘Ngarra Burra Ferra‘, a prayer to the sea; and a song of defiance and hope and liberation from oppression. On behalf of Tjindu Academy, the students sold donuts iced with the colours of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags.

A highlight of the week was the Indigenous Youth Leadership Program (IYLP) virtual breakfast hosted by the Smith Family. This was a chance for Aboriginal students from across the country to connect and share a common experience. The virtual gathering allowed us to reflect on the theme of the week and what that realistically looks like locally and nationally. Tia Buckskin was recognised at this meeting for her personal reflection, and her hopes for Reconciliation in 2023 and beyond.

Get to know our Year 12 Leaders

Each week, two of our Year 12 Student Leaders will take part in a brief Q&A session so you can get to know them a little better.

In recognition of National Reconciliation Week, this week we meet our 2023 Aboriginal Program Captains, Tayah Coulthard-Todd and Mackayla Harrison.

Year 7 presentation – ‘Wired’

Brainstorm Productions visited Champagnat Campus earlier this week and entertained our Year 7 students with an insightful play about some of the pressures of teenage life. The play, ‘Wired’, addressed topics such as managing school work, having realistic expectations, relationships, cyber safety, social media, vaping and mental health. The show was an interactive production that encouraged our Year 7 students to think about some of the issues that may present in teenage life and provided positive strategies for looking after our wellbeing and seeking help if required. 

Year 8 presentation – ‘Backflips Against Bullying’

Our Year 8 students enjoyed a lively performance of acrobatics combined with serious conversation about relationships, bullying and mental health. The performance provided a stimulus for ongoing learning in our pastoral care programs. The performance addressed topics relevant to Year 8 students and provided strategies and examples of how students can respond to negative interactions, support friends and seek assistance if required.  ‘Backflips Against Bullying’ entertained our Year 8 cohort with a collection of amazing tricks and audience participation, culminating in one of the performers flipping over a group of students.  

Year 7 and 8 Game Changers LeRosey Retreat

On Monday of Week 5, our Year 7 and 8 Game Changers groups (Le Rosey Track) took part in a half day retreat at the Brighton and Seacliff Yacht Club. The day allowed students to initiate and strengthen their relationships, have fun and undertake self-reflection about crucial aspects of their lives. 

As a group, students discussed, reflected and learned about trust in our close friendships, and the importance of having meaningful and trustworthy relationships. They also reflected on the people they are inspired by in life. Students were given a sunflower plant to decorate and take home as an inspirational object, with one half decorated based on who they currently are, and the other half based on the kind of person they aspire to be. 

It was a great day of fun and growth with a strong sense of community and Family Spirit amongst the students. 

Year 11 Politics to Parliament

On Wednesday of Week 5, students in Stage 1 Politics, Power and People spent an entertaining afternoon in the South Australian Parliament as the guests of our local member, Sarah Andrews MP. Sacred Heart old scholar Che Cielens (SHOC ’17), who now works as a member of Sarah’s staff, accompanied us on our tour, making us feel very welcome and ensuring we did not lose our way in the grand hallways or dusty depths of the parliamentary library.

The highlight of the day was attending Question Time in the House of Assembly, where our presence in the public gallery was acknowledged by Speaker, Dan Cregan. The MPs in attendance put on an entertaining display that showcased the high drama that can sometimes arise in the political arena. The  serious, responsible and formal nature of the occasion from time to time evolved into a volley of raucous interjections and exchanges across the floor of the House. Needless to say, we all found the experience to be a real eye opener to the inner workings of our democracy and a very worthwhile learning experience.

Stage 1 Child Studies morning tea for McAuley students

On Monday morning, our Year 11 Child Studies students hosted 79 Year 1s from McAuley Community School, Hove for a morning tea. The Year 11 students formulated the idea to organise the morning tea that allowed the Year 1s to experience the College campus while also immersing them in an activity that taught the Year 1s about safe and healthy eating. Our students demonstrated dedication, passion and commitment in organising this activity that formed their Group Summative task.

It was wonderful to witness the relationships formed and the mutually beneficial outcomes for all students involved. A special thanks to the McAuley staff and parents/caregivers who supported this highly valuable experience!

Year 12 Tourism and Geography Camp

Our Year 12 Tourism and Geography students attended a camp in Week 4 to the Yorke Peninsula, staying in the Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park, and they were absolute troopers! The kangaroo ticks, 10 million millipedes, gale-force winds and sideways rain didn’t dampen their enthusiasm and engagement!

Students were able to learn first hand from Adjahdura Elder, Quenten Agius, about the Narungga/Adjahdura culture, Dreaming stories, and their relationship with the land. They were able to  view fish traps and water holes that have been used by the Adjahdura people for hundreds, if not thousands of years.

Students were also confronted by some complex issues facing Adjahdura/Narungga people such as land management, protection of sacred sites and burial grounds, the impacts of colonisation, and the social and economic issues facing the community at Point Pearce today.

It was a very significant and meaningful learning experience for all involved. A big thank you to staff members, Craig Sherrah and Casey Patterson, who took time out of their busy lives to support our students’ learning.

Arts News

“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” – Edgar Degas

The Arts faculty at Sacred Heart College continues to showcase the talents of our students and expose them to professional industry workshops as you will see from the stories below.

Also, our Arts students and staff have been busy this term preparing for some exciting performances and displays of Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Arts across both campuses over the next few weeks. This includes the Senior Dance Night, Year 12 Drama performance of ‘The Violent Outburst That Drew Me To You’, Winter Warmer Cabaret, ‘Rock the Night Away’ Champagnat CEA Ensembles performances, and the Champagnat Arts Exhibition. Click here to view the exciting events coming up and be sure to check them out!

Senior Photography and Art

The Year 11 Art classes attended a wonderful (although quite wet) day of creative skill building, learning spray painting techniques at Cold Krush Studios (pictured below). The students interacted with the established street artist Timothy Readitt, who taught them a few painting tricks. Students painted their own designs on boards that will be displayed in the school.

Year 12 Photography students were privileged to attend the Andy Warhol exhibition at the The Art Gallery of South Australia. This exhibition was put together after 10 years of planning, including many iconic artworks. 

Design poster competition

Three talented Year 11 Design students have been included as finalists in the SA Refugee Week Youth Poster Awards Exhibition. These students are Ellie Spinner, Chloe Reddan and Charlie Thompson. Their designs will be displayed in an exhibition in June and they will go in the running for a cash prize. Congratulations and good luck to all! 

Senior Dance

On Monday, students from Champagnat Campus were treated to a matinee dance performance featuring the Stage 1 and 2 Dance class. The senior Dance students showcased their performances in Jazz, Contemporary and Tap, as well as student choreographies at the midday performance.

The Champagnat students thoroughly enjoyed the show and had the following feedback:

“I was impressed by the dancers’ techniques and emotions.” – Jemima Carter

“The performance was very innovative and it was interesting to consider what their dance was about.” – Arman Hunt

“After watching the performances I learned that smiling/facial expressions while performing is very important. When the dancers smiled it made the dance look fun. This also engages the audience when the appropriate expressions are needed to capture the audience’s attention. I was motivated to always put my all into it. When the dancers put in 100 percent effort it made the dance look so much better.” – Caden Macrow

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Senior Dance performance scheduled for tonight at 7pm has been postponed until further notice. The College will advise a new performance date once confirmed.

The Arts dates and events

Champagnat Campus (Term 2)

Marcellin Campus (Term 2)

Sports News

Winter Sport is now well underway and it has been exciting to see all Hearts teams showcase their commitment and team spirit each week. With such a large number of teams competing across both campuses, it is especially exciting to see so many competitive results thus far. 

While regrading will take place for some teams, we now wait to obtain the fixtures for the remaining games of the season. All fixtures and sport results are available on our College website here.

Reconciliation Round

Our Hearts’ sporting teams also celebrated National Reconciliation Week over Weeks 4 and 5 of College sport. With the 2023 theme, ‘Be a Voice for Generations’ in the forefront of our minds, students were involved in reading a joint acknowledgement with their teammates and opposition teams prior to the commencement of matches, and some of our teams proudly wore their reconciliation sports uniforms. 

The Reconciliation Week theme was an opportunity to encourage our students to be a voice for reconciliation in tangible ways in our everyday lives – where we live, work, socialise and play sport.

The First XI AFL and AFLW teams wore our Sacred Heart Indigenous guernsey, designed by old scholar and Adnyamathanha and Arrernte woman, Chariqua Buzzacott, who said, “The guernsey is a representation of not only mine but many Aboriginal kids’ journeys throughout life, specifically for me, private school. The footprints are the ongoing journey that I and many of us Aboriginal kids are taking, the meeting circles represent that although we are away from home we are still continuing to learn from our elders and the blue circles represent our Sacred Heart family.”

The Open A Netball team, First XI Soccer team and Open A Boys Basketball team wore our Sacred Heart Indigenous dress/guernseys, designed by old scholar Jyiah Campbell. Jyiah “created this design to tell the story of community and how colours and symbolism are used to communicate in First Nations cultures. This is similar to the way that Sacred Heart College is represented through colour and symbols when our old scholars, football players, and netball players wear our guernsey.”

Reconciliation Round results

The First XI AFL defeated St Peter’s College (20.18-138 to 4.2-26).

The First XI AFLW was defeated by St Michael’s College in the grand final rematch (5.4-34 to 3.3-21).

The Open A Boys Basketball team was defeated by Trinity College (46 to 55).

The Open A Netball girls defeated St Michael’s College in the grand final rematch (38 to 37). 

The First XI Soccer team was defeated by Marryatville (2 to 1). 

Year 9/10 Knockout Touch Football (Finals)

On Tuesday 30 June, both the Boys and Girls Year 9/10 Touch Football teams competed in Statewide Knockout Finals Day. 

The Girls Touch Football team competed very well across the whole day with the following results; 2-1 win against Pembroke, 6-1 win against St Peters, 7-1 win against Grant and a 4-1 loss against Wilderness. This demonstrates how the girls not only showcased their skill level and ability, but worked cohesively as a team across the day and furthermore, competed at a high standard against quality opposition. Coming up against Wilderness in the Grand Final was a challenge the team welcomed, however, we did not get the final result in the end. Mr Armiento was very proud of how far the girls got in the competition, finishing overall second place – an outstanding accomplishment!

The Boys Touch Football team were struck early in the day with bad news finding out that they were going into the day with one player short. This did not discourage the boys with their determination to do well on the day. The first challenge for the team was Grant and their new recruit, Harley Reid. However, it was no match for the Sacred Heart team who started off hot with a 4-0 win. Unfortunately for the boys that was their only win for the day. Nevertheless, the boys had a great day competing and they will be back next year.

We are very proud of both teams who consisted of young squads. The future is looking very bright for the SHC Touch Football program.

Girls Knockout Netball 

On Tuesday 6 June, Sacred Heart hosted Round 1 of the School Sport SA Knockout Netball Competition.  Game 1 saw our Open A netball team face off against Nazareth College. Sacred Heart came out firing and were able to take a strong lead early on. A focus on defensive pressure enabled the girls to intercept the ball and close out the game with a strong win, 61-20.   

We had a slow start in Game 2 with Reynella East College taking the lead in the first quarter. The girls fought hard and stuck to it, pushing on in the third quarter to take a 13 goal lead. After a number of quick intercepts in the centre third from hands over pressure, the girls took another big win, 54-30. 

We now wait to see who our Hearts will come up against in Round 2 of the Knockout Netball Competition. 

Student Sporting Achievements

Sporting dates and events

Champagnat Campus (Term 2)

Marcellin Campus (Term 2)