Hearts News (Week 6, Thursday 9 March)

Celebrating International Women’s Day yesterday: Our Year 10 girls with olympian and guest speaker, Jessica Stenson.

To our Sacred Heart Community

Greetings from Year 12 Retreat at Belair! Our 325 Year 12s are currently in five locations across the state reflecting on themselves and their key relationships – including their faith. As has been the case for generations, the Year 12 Retreat is proving to be a significant occasion for our students.

The Marcellin Campus Sports Day was an outstanding success last week. The spirit with which all students partook is deserving of commendation – our Family Spirit and Love of Work was on proud display! It was a privilege to watch our Year 9s share special moments with their families at last week’s Rite Journey Calling Ceremony. We offer our thanks for the manner in which our Year 9 parents and caregivers supported this important occasion.

As we are at (or just past!) the half-way point to the term, this edition of Hearts News is indicative of the richness of life at Sacred Heart College – the opportunities both within and beyond the classroom are enormous! I wish all of our community – students, families, and staff – an enjoyable and restful long weekend.

Daniel Head
Deputy Principal

Celebrating International Women’s Day

Yesterday we celebrated the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women all around the globe – and those within our own communities and families –  as part of International Women’s Day!

Staff and students at Champagnat were invited to wear an IWD sticker to encourage others to #EmbraceEquity. A video including written reflections from staff and students was also created in acknowledgement of the inspiring women in our community.

At Marcellin Campus, Year 10 students were fortunate to listen to guest speaker, Jessica Stenson. Jessica is an accomplished athlete, having won a gold medal in the marathon at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and representing Australia at both the 2012 London Olympics and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

She not only inspired students to achieve to the best of their capabilities, but took them through her day to day training reality, and explained how she attempts to manage the balance between her sporting commitments, and her family and friends. Her message to students was to make aspirational goals, demonstrate resilience in times of difficulty and to surround themselves with positive support.  

We thank Jessica for coming in and celebrating International Women’s Day with us! 

Year 9 Rite Journey Calling Ceremony

Students and families joined with Rite Journey mentor teachers last Wednesday evening on Seacliff Beach to mark “The Calling” ceremony, which officially signifies the beginning of the Rite Journey Program. It was a beautiful evening that provided students with the opportunity to join as a year level and mentor classes to mark the importance of transitioning from children to young adults.

Students pledged to endeavour to part from childish ways and embrace the increasing rights and responsibilities of adolescence and young adulthood. The highlight of the evening was the special time that each student spent with their family members, reading them a prepared letter of gratitude acknowledging the presence, support and love of their family members. 

Students, families and mentor teachers are looking forward to the adventure and personal growth that awaits this wonderful group of young people. 

STEM Start(Up) Academy

On Tuesday, Year 9 STEM students, along with some Year 10 Semester 2 STEM students, had the opportunity to attend Start(Up) Academy, a summit for future founders; to ignite minds, challenge perspectives and expose young people to the world of entrepreneurship.

Held in the Garden of Unearthly Delights, the summit included a variety of workshops, masterclasses and keynote speeches, including hearing from Nicole Dyson, founder of Future Anything and Sam Messini, The University of Adelaide’s first chief student entrepreneur. 

Throughout the day the students gained valuable insights into the world of entrepreneurship, including topics such as idea generation, product development, marketing, and funding. In smaller groups they were able to have networking opportunities, allowing them to learn from experienced entrepreneurs and connect with like-minded peers.

The most sought after workshops were: 

• Reimagining our new world, examining what our relationship to people and the planet might look like if we started anew, with the knowledge we have now. A great opportunity for some students to step into leadership roles with their groups.
• Future ready in a changing climate, where students learned how to tackle the unique challenges of building resilience in the driest state in the driest continent, and find ways to be more efficient with resources for future generations. It was fantastic to see our students engage with and receive feedback from peers and have to present their solution to the wider group.

After lunch, students attended masterclasses, including learning about the importance of developing a personal brand and confidence in selling yourself, insight into what their future solver toolkit will look like in our emerging technology landscape, and a practical step-by-step framework to help move ideas forward.

Overall, it was a very successful experience and the students were an exceptional representation of the College.

‘Morning Teal’ to support ovarian cancer research

On Friday 24 February, five Year 11 biology students, Alice Blore, Charlotte Bradley, Lilla Pannell, Grace Plummer and Anneliese Pitman, attended the event ‘Morning Teal’ to raise awareness and funds to support women and their families affected by ovarian cancer. The event was held at the Adelaide Health and Medical Science Building at the University of Adelaide, and was facilitated by Senator Simon Birmingham. He discussed how scientists are working together across the world to develop and refine their research. After a short forum with questions, the students enjoyed a morning tea, with donations going directly towards the Ovarian Cancer Council.

The students were then invited on a tour of the faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, specifically the Health Simulation Unit, which is utilised in the training of the medical and nursing students at the university. The unit showcased a health simulation virtual reality head piece (Primal Software), where students used a headset to enter different parts of the human body ie: the brain, to learn different structures and workings. The students then completed a simulation of CPR on manikins, learning the correct techniques. The simulator graded them in a race against other school groups for their consistency and efficiency of CPR. Our Sacred Heart girls were the winners! 

The tour also included viewing a highly sophisticated manikin that is worth $600,000, which breathes oxygen and respires carbon dioxide. The medical students at the university complete assessments on the manikin as they learn how to perform specific medical procedures. Our students also learnt that actors are utilised in the medical simulation unit to further enhance clinical preparedness. The students all enjoyed their morning and found the experience extremely valuable.

Parents and Friends (P&F)

After a few years of limited contact, it was great to see so many new and old faces at the February Parents & Friends (P&F) meeting held in the staff room at Marcellin Campus in week 3. 

The P&F is a great way to meet families and come together twice each term. We are also going to try holding a meeting online so some of our boarding families can attend. Meetings are generally around one hour in length and are a great way to get involved in more of a social capacity rather than the traditional P&F of a primary school.

One of the main goals for the P&F in 2023 is to bring the Hearts Community together with some casual family-friendly events throughout the year, and to support our Hearts families when needed. The P&F works together with the school to support events like the Mother’s Day Mass and Marist Missions.

We encourage all parents/caregivers and friends to come along to our meetings, enjoy a drink and some nibbles, get to meet new parents and help foster a great Hearts Community.

If you would like to be involved in assisting the P&F, please contact P&F Chairperson, Fiona Davies at daviessf41@gmail.com.

Sunset on the Green – Friday 24 March
Don’t forget to come along to our first Hearts community event for the year, Sunset on the Green on Friday 24 March, 6pm-8.30pm in Walter Park, Marcellin Campus. All are welcome. BYO food, drinks, chairs and rugs View invitation here.

Arts News

Music students continue to support school activities, including this term’s events, Rite Journey and Marcellin Campus Sports Day. 

Well done to Year 9 students, Ashton Wickers and Myles Barnett who entertained the Rite Journey students and their families at the Rite Journey Calling Ceremony last Wednesday evening (see article above). It takes a Courageous Heart to perform on stage as a solo or duo in an unfamiliar environment, but they both stepped up and gave a confident performance.   

The Drumline led out the House teams on Sports Day at Marcellin Campus while Ava Musarra (Year 12) sang the National Anthem. Small music groups performed throughout the day, finishing with DJ Lachie. 

Well done to all on these fantastic performances and we look forward to seeing more of these students throughout the year!

Arts weekend – Musical 

Students involved in the school musical had a dedicated weekend of rehearsals. This allowed us to really lock in some choreography and start a run through of what we’ve achieved so far. Students and staff worked incredibly hard, but we also had some opportunities to get to know each other and form friendships. Thank you to the dedicated staff for their work throughout the weekend.  

AHOMINGS meeting

Last week , Harrison Wickers and myself had the amazing opportunity to attend the Association of Heads of Music in Non Government Schools (AHOMINGS) meeting with other Arts Captains from other independent schools. We talked to Jordan Murray, the Director of Generations In Jazz about this year’s festival, then shared ideas about what makes a good leader and what we can do to motivate others. The session ended with a student-led jam on the blues.

This experience was incredibly valuable and led us to some new ideas for our roles, as well as student connections in other schools! 

Ava Musarra – Year 12 Arts Leader 2023

Sports News

It has been a busy start to sport in 2023 for both Champagnat and Marcellin campuses with over 60 teams competing in Term 1 sport. As we approach the halfway mark of the Term 1 fixture, it has been encouraging to see the students’ commitment to their teams and representing the College with pride. Each team has been training hard to improve each week and we are excited to see them take on the challenge to compete to the best of their abilities, particularly for those in the race for finals.

Marcellin Sports Day 2023

Last Friday the Year 10-12 students competed in their annual SHC Marcellin Sports Day. Students dressed up in House colours to celebrate the athletic abilities and family spirit of our College. It was a great day of competition and House Spirit, with Chavoin taking out the Marcellin Championship Shield and Marian claiming the Marcellin House Spirit Shield. The staff vs student relays and tug of war were a highlight of the day, with the students claiming all bragging rights, keeping staff winless for the day. 

We also congratulate our Age Champions:

A big thank you to Maintenance and Grounds who make sure the event runs smoothly each year by providing equipment and a brilliant track for our athletes to compete on.

SHC swimming champions

Congratulations to the SHC Swim team, who had great success at the Schools Relay Championship on 23 February. The team comprised 12 female and 12 male swimmers from Years 7-12 who competed in the short course relay event. Special mention to the following teams who took home first place shields from the event:

• Year 7/8 Girls 
• Year 11/12 Girls
• Year 11/12 Boys 
• Overall Girls Shield.

Then on Tuesday 28 February, our swimmers gathered again, this time at the SA Aquatic & Leisure Centre to participate in the School Sport SA A-Grade Swimming Championships. The Sacred Heart College Swim Team, consisting of 33 students across Years 7-12, received a total of 1,222 points across the 94 event program, which saw them place in overall 4th position.

A special mention goes to Matthew Clifford, Clancy Luscombe, Alex Wiggett and Ryan Clifford who broke the 4x50m Open Boys Medley Relay record with a combined swim time of 1:51.32, as well as the 4x50m Open Boys Freestyle Relay record with an impressive swim time of 1:40.47.

We congratulate all the swimmers involved and thank the volunteer helpers, parents/caregivers and family members who came out to support.

Student Sporting Achievements

Sporting dates and events

Champagnat Campus

Marcellin Campus