Santa Maria College Reflection – Term 1 2023 – Jennifer Oaten

April 7, 2023

As we wrap up Term 1, we reflect on the incredible experiences Santa Maria College has provided for our students and community. From the Opening Mass and Achievers’ Club to the Running Festival and Parent Sundowner, we have witnessed countless moments of inspiration. This is in addition to all the incredible learning experiences facilitated by our outstanding teachers.

Congratulations to the Community Relations Department for capturing some of these moments in over 110 blogs this term.

I share with you 13 Santa Maria College Term 1 blogs that I have handpicked and highly recommend reading.

These blogs provide insights into some of the most memorable moments of the term, including celebrations, achievements, and community-building activities. Happy reading!

Opening Mass: Understand the importance of mass to Catholics and the significance of this spiritual gathering for our community as we begin the new year. Our commitment to our Mercy value of Excellence was a focus.

Interschool Swimming Carnival: Find out how the 2023 interhouse swimming carnival demonstrated our amazing House spirit with excellent performances in individual events and relays with novelty events ensuring all students contributed points to their House.

Power of Our Mercy Community: Gain insights into the Mercy tradition, which has been empowering women to use their voice to make a difference in the world. Our Mercy values of Hospitality, Compassion, Justice, Service, and Excellence guide the actions and decisions of our school community each day and unite us with Mercy schools across Australia.

Year 7 Camp: Experience the excitement and adventure of the Year 7 camp, where students had the opportunity to challenge themselves, build friendships and understand the importance of teamwork. They created many memories with their cohort.

Cultural Centre: Learn the rationale behind this state-of-the-art build that has been given the green light to go ahead and how spaces for Art, Music, Drama and gathering spaces will benefit our students and our community for years to come.

Achievers’ Club: Acknowledge the hard work and dedication of Santa Maria’s high-achieving students who were acknowledged in this club. These students are committed to their studies, achieving excellent grades in all their subjects.

Year 11 Father-Daughter Event: Share the touching experiences of Dads and their daughters as they stepped out of their comfort zone, achieved challenges, and refined their dancing skills as the sun set over Fremantle.

Rock Ya Socks Off: Discover the talents of our musicians who worked together to engage their audience and develop self-confidence by being responsible for their role in the band. Performing in front of an audience of over 200 people and under stage lighting is a very challenging but rewarding experience.

Running Festival: Read about Santa Maria’s Running Festival, where students showcased their physical prowess and endurance in our cross-country event both as individual competitors and as a House team. The House Captains led the way, and House spirit encouraged everyone to do their best.

Santa’s Workshop: Celebrate that girls can do anything! Over 200 Years 7 and 8 students commenced Beginners Woodwork in Santa’s Workshop this term. Students have been learning to use drills, saws and a range of other tools to construct their first project. Santa’s Workshop aims to provide an opportunity for students to design, create and evaluate products.

Boarding Treetop Adventures: The Years 7 and 8 boarders at Santa Maria College recently had the exhilarating experience of participating in a treetop adventure. The high ropes course provided the perfect opportunity for the boarders to break out of their comfort zones and challenge themselves mentally and physically.

Parent Sundowner: Learn how the 2023 sundowner helped to build a stronger parent community developing connections, friendships and support networks.

Alumni Reunions: Take a look at the welcome back event organised for Santa Maria’s past students. Over 400 alumni reminisced about memories from their school days with our golden girls and our special guests

Easter is a very special time and the most important time in our Church calendar. As Catholics, we celebrate the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus by joining together in prayer.

As we head into the Easter holidays, let us take a moment to unwind, rest and appreciate the people in our lives and anticipate more wonderful experiences in the upcoming terms at Santa Maria College.

We wish everyone a happy, holy Easter.

God Bless

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Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.