14 SMMC Newsletter 4 September

Principal News

Baird Baking Afternoon

Last week, our staff came together for the annual Baird Baking Afternoon, baking up a storm of beautiful brownies, slices and biscuits to be donated to families in need.

It was a wonderful afternoon of baking and fun remembering our friend and colleague Cathy who showed her love for others through her generosity and food! 

Announcing our 2025 Mark Mappas Award winner – Chris Lane! 

The Mappas Medallions honours parents and carers who make an outstanding contribution to their school community.

Chris has been recognised for his incredible commitment to our College, especially through his support of the Confraternity team and the Open Schoolgirls' Challenge team. From weekly training sessions to travelling for games and carnivals, his dedication and coaching have made a lasting impact.

Thank you, Chris, for everything you have done for our school community. We look forward to celebrating and officially presenting you with the Mark Mappas Medallion at our annual Awards Night.

Congratulations to our 2026 Senior House Leaders

Last week, we were excited to announce our 2026 Senior House Leaders.

Congratulations to:

• Alinta – Lily Quinlan & Azalia Smith

• Anunaka – Vada Hendle & Caydee Kyle

• Karinya – Pippa Ratuere & Abigail Pertile

• Kiata – Zara Richter & Layla Guazzo

Congratulations once again to our new leaders. We look forward to the guidance and energy you will bring to your Houses in 2026.

Father’s Day Breakfast

This morning, we were delighted to welcome fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers, and uncles to our College for a special Father’s Day Breakfast. It was a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together, share a meal, and celebrate the important role these men play in the lives of our students.

A big thank you to our P&F who organised the sausage BBQ, and to Coffee Presto for providing our early morning coffee fix.

Upcoming Pupil Free Days

Yours sincerely,
Kathleen McCarthy
College Principal

Inspirited by Faith and Mission

Through the lens of St Joseph - Remembering all Father’s This Sunday

Saint Joseph was an ordinary man who was the husband of Mary and father of Jesus here on earth. Joseph protected and cared for Mary and Jesus, placing their needs before his own.  He was a carpenter and craftsman and spent many hours creating things from wood. Joseph was a man of deep faith, turning constantly to God for guidance and strength. St Joseph is an example to us of how an ordinary person can have an extraordinary love for others. He was a man who listened, protected, worked and loved quietly.

Last year during our Christmas liturgy I reflected on St Joseph as Jesus’ father and his role in his birth. To do this I had to look a little more deeply into the life of Joseph, a man we don’t usually hear a lot (if anything) about during the Christmas story.

I discovered that while he wasn’t ‘famous’ by any means – his life and the choices he made did change history. I firmly believe that as a father he did this by modelling to Jesus what courage and sacrifice and love look like! As a father he worked hard in the trade of carpenter, and he provided safety – even fleeing into Egypt with his young family for a time. It is no surprise then that he is patron for refugee fathers and struggling fathers. And what of the fathers who are fathers beyond biology – he reminds us that fatherhood isn’t about DNA – but about love!

So this Father’s Day I am giving thanks to St Joseph – the patron saint of fathers, and thanks to all fathers for shaping, protecting and loving their children – with compassion and courage and faithfulness.

Loving God, thank you for fathers and father figures who give their all for their families. We give thanks for their modelling of care and patience and hard work and most importantly the way they teach us love through action, not just words. We ask for your blessings of all fathers – those who protect, guide, show strength in gentleness and love in everyday moments. May we learn from St Joseph – and all fathers and father figures – that fatherhood is about being courageous, present, and always loving. Amen.

Shoe Collecting as Pilgrims of Hope

On Friday in Week 10 we are celebrating Samaritan Day - starting with a liturgy and our House Choir competition before heading off to Riverway for a day of fun and connecting and celebrating!

The theme for our liturgy this year will be looking at the Good Samaritan story and the College theme “Pilgrims of Hope”. 

As part of that theme, the Junior & Senior Community, Faith & Spirit Leaders will be helping Ms Suzy Sheriff and I put together a display of shoes. Over the next few weeks we will be asking students and staff to look through their wardrobes for a pair of shoes they no longer wear and bring them into school (Clean, tidy, no holes preferred). 

These shoes will symbolise our journeying & pilgrimaging together – and then the hope comes in because the shoes will then be added to our Vinnies Winter Appeal donations, and some to the Women’s Shelter and other organisations around Townsville who can pass these on to people in need in our community.

Blessings,
Rachel Harrison
Assistant Principal - Identity and Mission

Educated Women of Purpose

We are heading into one of the busiest times of the year here at SMMC.  We have our Year 12 students beginning Mock Exams this week in preparation for their External Exams.  These Mock Exams are a wonderful opportunity for students to experience what an external exam will look like and also to get a clear picture of their progress leading into External Exams.  This will help to shape their revision moving forward.  Whilst these exams don’t count towards their results, they are strongly encouraged to treat them as they would any other exam in order to get the maximum benefit from  them.  The exam timetable can be found here.  

Our Year 11 students will begin their Unit Two Block Exams on Thursday 4th September.  These students are already preparing for  these exams and we wish them the best of luck.   The exam timetable can be found here.  

Our Year 7-10 students are busily working on assessment in classes and it has been wonderful to see the great work they are producing with the help of their teachers.

With all of this assessment occurring across all year levels, it is timely to remind you of School TV as a great resource for accessing some extra support for your daughters in managing exam stress and exam jitters.  Please remember that myself, our incredible Pastoral Team and Guidance Counsellors are here to help should you need some extra support.

Inspired by Community

Assessment Self-Care Advice

During these final weeks of Term 3 and the assessment period for all students, it is important that young people also focus on their self-care, ensuring they make time in their study plan for breaks that sustain them.

Some Self-Care Tips for young people when studying, from Headspace:

Look after yourself and take breaks when you need to.  Self-care doesn’t need to be fancy or complicated; it can be anything that helps your mental or physical wellbeing – and it’s especially important in helping you recharge during stressful times:

• Organise activities that you enjoy into your study plan as this will help refresh your mind after a long study session.
• When you eat things that fuel your body, it helps your mind too. Consider grabbing some healthy snacks to get you through your study period.
• Staying active can also help you to keep focused and energetic. For example, you could try going for walks, organising a gym session (possibly with friends) or stretching.
• Don't study for too long without a short break. 40-60 minutes of study then taking a 5–10-minute break is a good place to start but play around with these timeframes and see what works best for you.
• Sleep is important, so ensure you have a strict sleep time routine to give your brain time to “clean house” overnight and you can recharge 
• Stay hydrated.  Did you know: 
• About 75% of all brain mass is water and our brains need water to keep working.
• Among other functions, water helps brain cells and tissue to balance hormone levels, maintain proper blood flow and deliver vitamins, minerals and oxygen to your brain.
• A 2020 study showed that water can help with memory performance and cognitive flexibility 

(Source: CQ University, 2024, https://www.cqu.edu.au/news/1149585/hydration-is-really-important-for-learning-how-much-do-kids-need-to-drink)

Sourced from:  Headspace, ‘How to study for exams and reduce stress’, 19/10/24,

https://headspace.org.au/explore-topics/for-young-people/prepare-for-exams/

We also remind families of some helpful links from the SchoolTV Team over this time: 

• Diet and Nutrition: https://smmc.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/diet-nutrition
• Exam Jitters: https://smmc.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/exam-jitters
• Managing Screen Time: https://smmc.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/managing-screen-time
• Mindfulness: https://smmc.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/mindfulness
• Resilience:  https://smmc.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/resilience
• Sleep: https://smmc.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/sleep

REACHOUT.com, also has a range of informative guides and management strategies from other young people.  Direct your children to their link:  https://au.reachout.com/articles/how-to-deal-with-stress

Topics include: 

• How to deal with stress, identifying the issue and how to manage it 
• Strategies for maintaining control during stressful study periods - including positive self-talk, mindfulness and other mind relaxation techniques

For great apps, REACHOUT.com also lists useful apps to help for:

1. Planning your study schedule
2. Managing distractions and taming screen use
3. Learning and study tips
4. Keeping focused
5. Health and wellbeing

For more information about these apps, visit the website: https://au.reachout.com/articles/5-apps-for-beating-exam-stress

There is something there for all members of the family - regardless of age and stage of life - as we all tackle daily stress.  I can recommend Pause for its interactive sensory slow-down experience!  ReachOut Breathe is a free app, and very effective for retraining us around a practice we take for granted, breathing.

Which foods are the best fuel?

For foods that help our brain study visit, https://au.reachout.com/study-work-and-money/exam-stress/foods-that-help-our-brain-study and find out more about:

Protein – meat, fish, eggs, poultry, legumes, nuts and seeds, dried beans and lentils, dairy products and soy products. Protein helps your brain send messages to the rest of your body, and helps create brain chemicals that improve your mood.

Antioxidants – fruits and veggies, including berries, and pomegranate juice. Antioxidants can help delay or even prevent certain effects of aging on the brain.

Omega-3 – oily fish, flax seeds and flax oil, and eggs, chicken and beef. Omega-3s have been found to help your brain work harder and improve your mental health.

Dietary cholesterol – dairy and egg yolks. Your brain relies on cholesterol to create the cells that send messages to the rest of the body.

Monounsaturated fats – avocados, nuts, olive oil, canola oil and peanut oil. Food that contains monounsaturated fats can improve your memory and help your brain work harder, better, faster, stronger.

Caffeine (moderate amounts) – tea, coffee and dark chocolate. In small doses, caffeine can help you feel refreshed and more focused.

Water - A large percentage of your brain is water, and water is vital to keeping your body (and brain) in tip-top shape.

Tension is who you think you should be.  Relaxation is who you are.  Chinese Proverb

Michelle Kotzas
Assistant Principal Pastoral

A Health Reminder from Our Health and First Aid Office:

Even as we move out of the Winter period, there is still a lot of illness in our community.  This is a timely reminder to families and staff to help stop the spread of cold & flu germs by keeping young people home if they are unwell, and to stay home if you are unwell. 

Jen Walker
Health and First Aid Officer

College Administration

SAMARITAN DAY - FRIDAY 19TH SEPTEMBER

Staff and students will celebrate our annual Feast Day on Friday 19th September. Activities for the day include:

• Samaritan Day Liturgy
• Battle of the House Choirs
• Riverway Picnic
• Activities and Games at Riverway
• Swimming in Riverway Lagoon

IMPORTANT DETAILS

1. All students and staff (Years 7-12) will be transported to and from Riverway by bus after the Liturgy and Battle of the House Choirs 
2. Students come dressed in the theme of the day – to be advised
3. Sausage sizzle provided for lunch. Students bring their morning tea and other snacks.  (No deliveries of food permitted). Tuckshop will be closed for the day.
4. Bring hat, sunscreen, swimming gear, water and picnic blankets.
5. Students will return to school at 2:10 pm for Just Dance

Year 10 Vaccinations are scheduled for Thursday Week 9 - 11th September in Period 1 and 2

Those students who were absent earlier in the year for vaccinations, will receive the first dose of the Meningococcal B Vaccine.  Any queries, please contact Ms Jenny Walker in the Health and Wellbeing Unit of the College.

First Nations News

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to Week 8! As we are nearing the end of the term, assessment is occurring across all subjects. Some tips for preparing for assessment include:

• Review the assessment instructions and criteria
• Maintain a consistent revision schedule
• Practice time management
• Utilise study aids like mind maps and flashcards to reinforce their understanding
• Managing anxiety by getting adequate rest
• Eating healthy and exercise to support both physical and mental readiness.

 First Nations Homework Program reminder:

The homework program continues to run on Monday and Tuesday afternoons. On Mondays any subject is welcomed, however Tuesdays are compulsory Maths. It has been great to see the numbers sustaining throughout the term. As this Program is not compulsory, students have to sign in to attend. If you have any questions or concerns about your child attending the Program please let me know. Next week Tuesday (Week 9) is the last Homework Program for this term and will recommence in Week 2 of Term 4.

ATSIMS

Last week on Friday the 29th of August, Mr Morganson and our four ATSIMS students attended the Orpheus Island camp. This camp offers a multi-stay field-based experience for program participants to connect with Manbarra & Bwgcolman Traditional Owners and representatives, Land and Sea Ranger groups, and relevant industry experts including station officers. Further opportunities to connect with and engage in relevant citizen science initiatives aimed at caring for Land and Sea Country through snorkelling, hiking and creative projects. We are looking forward to sharing some of their experiences in our next newsletter.

Next ATSIMS event:

• September 10th - Program Graduation

 Community Engagement- St Joseph’s Mundingburra

On Thursday the 21st of August Ms Zoe, Racyna Binawel, Floriana Sakail, Shaniqua Ahwang and I travelled to St Joseph’s Mundingburra during the second break to share the Taba Naba story and sit-down dance with their primary students. We are enjoying this engagement opportunity and would like to thank Ms Taya Bortignon from St Joseph’s Mundingburra for the opportunity to engage with their school.

First Nations Committee Meetings Term 4

• Our next meeting is Monday Week 3 20th October 5-6pm in the Library

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. Have a great week!

Yours in Faith, Culture and Education,
Mrs Louise Martin

Arts News

What an amazing night filled with incredible talent from our Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Arts students.  On arrival, we were treated to a feast for the eyes as student Artwork was on display in a stunning pop-up gallery.  Huge congratulations to our Art teachers and students!   Our P&F contributed to the night with their sausage sizzle, and we thank them for this service.

The variety concert started with electrifying energy!  Our TAIKO drummers brought a powerful opening piece which let the audience know that something special was about to happen. Benedictine Place was transformed into a theatre with professional lighting and audio from local firm, Wild Gravity.  Our Arts Leaders were busy too – Junior Leaders Drew Harris and Eva Patton were welcoming ushers, while Senior Arts Leaders Olivia Sellars and Ruby Gibb were our fabulous Comperes.  Arts Leader Chloe Clark was our Vision Computer operator.  It was a great team effort!

The program was packed with Drama (mostly on stage), in a variety of themes/styles, three Dance Troupes as well as Classroom Dance acts, Music acts- Bella Voce Choir, Year 9 Rock Band, powerful vocal solos, a student devised musical theatre number, instrumental solos, a polished Guitar Ensemble, and a most entertaining Irish Club act with hard shoe Irish Dancers created a joyful and entertaining evening. 

The Arts Awards for 2025 were presented by College Principal, Mrs McCarthy.  Arts Awards recipients were awarded as follows:

Masked Singer Award for 2025  
Lexie Moritz

Arts Engagement Award
Junior: Alice Cochrane
Senior: Chloe Clark

Drama Awards
Junior:  Violet Ziehmer
Senior:  Mischa Williamson

Dance Awards
Junior: Madisson Poljakow.
Senior: Angelina Parliaros

Music Awards
Junior: Drew Harris
Senior: Matilda Neucom

Visual Art Awards
Junior: Shelise Scaife
Senior:  Zoe Immelman

Combined School Musical Awards
Performer of the Year for 2025: Elizabeth Davis
Musical MVP Award: Amelia Archer-Thomas

Ellen Beams Bella Voce Award
Amelie Sproles (presented by Simon and Alice Beams)

The finale “Can’t Stop the Feeling” was open to all our performers to be part of and was a great way to close the show. 

Congratulations to our Award Winners and thanks to all performers and teachers of the Arts for a wonderful evening.

Nancy Nicholson
Producer - Maggies’ Festival of the Arts 2025

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Sports News

Karyn Murphy Cup 

Our Year 7/8 rugby league team represented the College at the annual Karyn Murphy Cup on Friday, August 29. This event brings together teams from the Northern region, highlighting the talent of young athletes from Charters Towers to Ingham. Our team, comprising a mix of experienced league players, soccer players, touch footballers, and netballers, exceeded all expectations during the carnival. The girls remained undefeated, posting wins against several teams from Kirwan State High, Columba Catholic College, and Southern Cross Catholic College. With many league opportunities on the horizon, the development of this group of girls promises to be exciting.

Language News

Languages Speech Night

SMMC Languages Speech Night was a great success! The evening began with some sushi and pizza.

Speeches then started and the quality was truly impressive. Junior students of Japanese and Italian spoke about themselves, their families, friends, fashion, ideal holiday and hobbies. Year 12 Italian students, Sienna Cottone and Emily Jarvis, spoke about their hopes and plans for the future. 

All the students delivered their speeches with confidence, demonstrating their considerable skills in Japanese and Italian. They certainly impressed their families and teachers.

After the speeches, students and their families had some trivia fun, testing their knowledge of Italy and Japan. With chocolates at stake the competition was fierce!

The evening was a lot of fun and allowed our passionate Languages students  the opportunity to show off their fantastic skills.

Japanese Speaking Competition

Recently, a group of our Japanese students represented SMMC at the Japanese Speaking Competition held at Ryan Catholic College. This event provided students with a valuable opportunity to demonstrate their language skills in front of an audience and to meet and connect with other Japanese language learners. Our students showed great enthusiasm, confidence, and commitment throughout the competition.

We are proud of all who participated: Sophia Cahigan, Sabina Cahigan, Clara Rois Nodar, Rebecca Sijish, Kiersten Fenstermacher, Aysha Kelly, and Sophie Tran. A special congratulations goes to Clara Rois Nodar, who achieved third place in the Year 9 division - a fantastic accomplishment! Well done to all students for their hard work and for representing our school so positively.

Humanities News

QUT Regional Accounting Workshop

Move over, engineers — the accountants are taking on their own bridge-building challenge!

Our interested Year 10 students explored management accounting and job costing by designing an iconic bridge, all while keeping an eye on the cost of each LEGO piece and their profit goals.A big thank you to QUT (Queensland University of Technology) and BDO for running the activity and sharing insights into career opportunities and study pathways in the accounting industry.

The QUT accounting workshop was a great opportunity to learn more about what accounting really is by breaking down its misconceptions. It helped me to understand more about what I want for my future career, and how accounting can be useful in any department. The LEGOs were a fun bonus!
Kalina Beams

Library News

Book Week

On Friday, our students and staff boarded a journey to anywhere in the world through the magic of reading. 

Just like a great book, our day filled with adventure, imagination, and plenty of fun along the way.

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Premier’s Reading Challenge has finished and is now being finalised.  Results will be announced in the next few weeks.

Defence News

With the high tempo period winding down now we are seeing many families returning to "Business As Usual" at home and at work. I want to give a special shout-out to the incredible partners and families holding down the fort while their loved ones were away on Exercise and/or deployment. Your strength, patience and resilience never go unnoticed – you are the quiet heroes of our Defence community, and we appreciate you. I have been distributing gift packs home to our Defence students and their families; a small token to say we are thinking of you, and you're doing a great job! If you have not received one yet, be assured that they will be coming home over the next week or so.

Our Wattle Company Parade is being held weekly for the rest of the term as we have had to miss a couple of sessions earlier in the term. This is allowing us to 'catch up' with some ideas and projects, including upcoming Remembrance Day projects and commemorations. I am looking forward to sharing more about this in the coming weeks. 

Don't forget to sign up to our local Defence Member and Family Support E-Newsletter to keep up to date with defence community events and news pertaining to our local area and entitlements. You can sign up by scanning the below QR code, or email dmfs.townsville@defence.gov.au to be added to the list. 

Take Care,
Vicki Clothier
Defence School Mentor

Uniform Shop Notice

Wearitto will be closed due to building repairs, from Saturday, 20th September 2025 to Friday, 3rd October 2025. They will also be closed on Monday, 6th October for the King's Birthday Public Holiday.

To allow families to access the shop before Term 4 commences, Wearitto will be open:

• Saturday, 04th October (9:00am to 12:00pm)

Normal trade will commence again on Tuesday, 7th October (8:00am to 4:30pm).

Online ordering will be available throughout, with orders packed for collection on / after reopening Saturday, 4th October.

QCAA News

Nominations now open for the myQCE Student Reference Group

The Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) is recruiting new members for the myQCE Student Reference Group in 2026.

The group gives students the chance to have their say about the QCE system processes and senior schooling.

Queensland students who will be in Year 10, 11 or 12 in 2026 are eligible to apply. The group meets four times per year and membership is ongoing until students graduate from Year 12.

Nominations close on Friday 26 September 2025 — for more information and to nominate, visit the myQCE website.