No. 3 / February 15, 2012
Important Dates
Thursday February 16
 SRC Gelato Day
Friday February 17
 Blessing of Mercy Tree and
Openings and Blessing of
Barbara McDonough Student
Centre and Christina Creede
Music Centre
 Early finish for Years 8-12 at
12.40pm
From the Principal
Opening Mass
Last Friday, the Opening Mass for the beginning of the school year was held in St Patrick’s
Cathedral. The theme for the Mass was “Unity”. As a College community we prayed for all over
members in 2012, which we trust will be a year where we support and care for each other in the
good times and in the moments that challenge us. There will no doubt be many great successes
this year but there will also be occasions where some members of our community will suffer loss
and will struggle. It is in those times that as a community we are called to come together. It was
indeed wonderful to see so many students involved in the Mass as readers, members of the
processions, and in the Choir and Orchestra. After the Mass, in a symbol of unity, Year 12
students met their Year 7 “Prayer Buddy” and presented them with a prayer card before singing
the Alma Mater with them.
Monday February 20
 Year 12 Standard English
Excursion
Tuesday February 21
 CGSSSA Volleyball
 Year 12 Physics Excursion
(after school)
Wednesday February 22
 ASH Wednesday
 CCC Softball
Thursday February 23
 Twilight Swimming Carnival

Friday February 24
 No lessons
Cocurricular Program
One of the strengths of the College is the large cocurricular program available to all students. On
the first day of school, students were provided with information about the range of options
offered at the College. We encourage all students to take up one of the activities on offer, be it a
sport, a musical ensemble, the choir, debating, public speaking or to join one of the many clubs
on offer. It was great to see the number of students – over 70-who participated in the Public
Speaking Day which was held last week. What was a strong statement about the strength of the
OLMC community was the number of young ex-students who came along on the day to mentor
and work with the budding public speakers. A big thank you to Mr Ostrowski and Mrs Vidot for
their organisation of the day.
If your daughter is not involved in the cocurricular program, please encourage her to give it a go!!
Table of Contents
From the Principal
1
Staff Profile
2
Curriculum
2
Cocurricular
3
Sport
5
Parents
5
2
Official Opening and Blessing
I remind you about the Opening and Blessing of the Barbara McDonough Student Centre and the Christina Creede Music Centre and the
Blessing of the Mercy Tree which will be held this Friday, February 17 at 2.00 p.m. Students from Years 8 -12 will be dismissed at 12.40.
Parents are very welcome to attend.
Kitty Guerin
Principal
Staff Profile
Kara Littler
Some might say I am your typical PE ‘jock’. I live, breathe and play sport and have done so since I was first allowed to
step foot on a Netball court, an Athletics track, a Tennis court or a Soccer field. I was brought up in a family who all
participated in some sort of sport and so it was a natural progression for me to follow in those footsteps. I consider myself
extremely lucky to have been introduced to this active lifestyle because I believe it has developed many positive qualities
that have helped me to become the person I am today, such as those relating to working in a team, decision making and
sportsmanship.
During my high school years I devoted much of my time training to become a sprinter. I was fortunate enough to have the support that
allowed me to achieve some wonderful successes. I continued my training while I studied for a Bachelor of Exercise Science degree. I
furthered my study by completing a Graduate Diploma in Education and then, like my mum and sister, became a PDHPE teacher.
Since completing my studies, I have been privileged to have gained excellent teaching experiences by working in a variety of schools
including three years teaching in an inner London all girls secondary school. While this proved to have its challenges, I had an amazing
experience, allowing me to further my professional development.
I am delighted to have been given this opportunity to become a part of the Our Lady of Mercy College team. The warm welcome I have
received from everyone at OLMC has been overwhelming and I thank all staff for their support. I look forward to an exciting year full of
sporting activities and achievements.
Kara Littler
PDHPE Teacher
Curriculum
Mathematics Report
The Mathematics Department, along with the wider OLMC community, regretfully bids farewell to a long serving and dedicated
Mathematics teacher, Mrs Blanche Mikalauskas who decided to retire at the end of last year after being at the College for 29 years. We
wish her all the very best for her retirement.
We welcome back Ms Duke who has returned after taking some time off in Semester Two 2011. We also thank Miss Cho who did a
fantastic job in replacing Ms Duke.
The highlight of our year in the Mathematics Department in 2011 was the outstanding achievement of many of our girls in the School
Certificate and Higher School Certificate. The SC and HSC Classes of 2011 are to be congratulated on their outstanding results.
In the Higher School Certificate, 13.43% of our General Mathematics students achieved a Band 6 compared with 7.03% of the State.
13.43% of our 2 Unit Mathematics students achieved a Band 6 compared with 18.3% of the State. In Mathematics Extension 1, 39.1%
achieved an E4 compared with 35.93% of the State and in the Mathematics Extension 2, 42.85% achieved an E3 or E4 compared with
39.23% of the State.
In the School Certificate, 10% of OLMC students achieved a Band 6 compared with 8.89% of the State.
Congratulations to the following girls for their achievement of a Band 6:

in HSC General Mathematics, Gabrielle Stove, Victoria Silvestro, Isabel Ivill, Danielle Michael and Nicole Kharoufeh, Meghan
Grawich, Stephanie Stabfort, Emma Lupis and Sarah Camden.

in HSC Mathematics, Geethu Chenginiyadan, Crystal El-Dimassi, Stephanie Sahni, Anycie Coorey and Sarah Haddah.

a number of Year 11 students from the 2011 accelerated class also attained a Band 6: Rebecca Assaf, Melissa Wehbe, Taylor
Mikaelian and Kara Fernandes.
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
in Mathematics Extension 1: Adele Wan, Adriana Diab,Katrina Stafrace, Wing Sum Ng, Geethu Changiniyadan, Janina Hernandez,
Ellen Parker, Letizia Celani and Karin Schaffarczyk-McHale.

in the School Certificate: Wing Kiu Ng, Kathryn Mater, Mary Giurgius, Angelique Jammal, Ashley Nguyen, Laurinda Sebaratnam,
Madeline Elkhouri, Shanaya Senanayake, Jessica Fou, Kathryn Morcos-Matar, Hong Ying Fok, Jessica Camilleri, Martina Su,
Monica Axiak, Adrijana Drazenovic, Allison Limcangco, Melissa Martin and Danielle Mendoza.
Finally, “Peer Mentoring” sessions are up and running again for any students who need assistance with Mathematics. These sessions are
held in Room B217 on Wednesday at lunchtime. The Mathematics Department and some Senior Extension Maths students run the Peer
Mentoring sessions.
Piv Huot
Maths Coordinator
Science Report
Welcome to all new students and their families. It has been a smooth start to the year and our new Year 7 students are showing a great
deal of eagerness as they are being introduced to the Science laboratories and getting their first taste of high school Science.
Congratulations to the HSC class of 2011. Results were well above state average in Earth and Environmental Science, Senior Science
and Biology. Our EES results were particularly strong, with a mean more than 7 marks above the state average and 86% of our students
achieving a Band 5 or above. The Senior Science mean was 6 marks above state average and 63% of our students achieved at least a
Band 5. Biology students performed well also. 47% of our Biology students achieved a Band 5 or above.
Particular congratulations are extended to the following students:
Course
Students who achieved the highest mark in this course at
OLMC
Biology
Chemistry
EES
Physics
Senior Science
Wing Sum Ng and Rebecca Renshaw
Karin Schaffarczyk-McHale
Michelle Quinn
Adele Wan
Courtney Atkins and Angela Ryall
The Year 10 class of 2011 performed very well in what was the last School Certificate examination. 58% of our students achieved a band 5
or above in Science and the OLMC course mean for Science was more than 5 marks above the state mean.
It has been a busy start to the year in Science. Year 10 students have begun working on their Student Research Project. Students will be
working on this project for most of Term 1. They will be given some class time for this but it is expected that a significant portion of the
work will be completed at home. Students are required to document their progress in a blog. Parents are invited to visit their daughter’s
blog to get an idea of the progress of the work.
Year 8 and Year 9 students will begin work on a research task this week. The Year 8 task relates to current environmental issues whilst
Year 9 students will be researching polymers and their impact on society. Year 7 students will be completing a number of short practical
and written tests throughout the term to assess their ability to use various pieces of equipment including the Bunsen burner and the
microscope. The first assessment notification has also been issued to Year 11 Biology and Chemistry students. Parents are reminded that
copies of assessment notifications are available from myOLMC.
The Science faculty wishes all OLMC students and their families a great year of learning.
Ms Pascale Warnant
Science Coordinator
Cocurricular
PUBLIC SPEAKING
A good public speech starts with an earthquake… and works up to a climax.
With this introduction, OLMC launched into another year of standing up and being heard. And of course, being successful at it.
The annual Public Speaking Day of Excellence, now in its fifth year, once again proved to be a huge success. Seventy girls from the
school attended the all-day seminar at St Patrick’s Cathedral Hall, and no less than seven ex-students returned to act as mentors for the
girls. Current Public Speaking Leaders, Laura Millson and Melissa Psaila, as well as Head Girl Faith Petrie, also acted as mentors. Some
changes to the program this year meant that these young ladies had a greater role to play, and all of them were outstanding in carrying out
those enchanced roles. A big thank you to Charlotte Claxton (2010), Meghan Grawich (2011), Ellen Leabeater (2011), Laura Millson (Year
12), Isabella Paganin (2009), Faith Petrie (Year 12), Melissa Psaila (Year 12), Nikola-anne Sowry (2011 and coming all the way from
Newcastle), Shannen Usher (2010) and Laura Zournazidis (2011).
The enthusiasm and talent of all the girls continue to amaze. After listening to the finer points of public speaking from Mrs Elizabeth Vidot
and me, the girls were broken into small groups supervised by the mentors. In the groups, students were given the opportunity to practise
impromptu speeches, an activity that proved most successful. After a short break, the real work began on preparing longer speeches, to be
delivered after lunch. During this session, Mrs Vidot and the mentors suggested ideas, helped students write speeches, and generally
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encouraged the girls along the way. By lunchtime, reams of paper had been covered with writing, palm cards flew left, right and centre, and
many girls found (reasonably) quiet little corners where they could practise their speeches.
Lunch was a breather before their performances, although many girls had a sandwich in one hand, and kept writing with the other. Some
lucky students even managed to score a piece of pizza left over from the food supplied for mentors!
After lunch, the mentors took their groups again. Each girl presented her speech while the others in the group gave positive feedback. When
this was completed, the entire group gathered again to hear some of the best performances as judged by the mentors. The quality was
remarkable, a sure indication that the successes of past years are bound to continue.
At the end of the day, girls were given the option of applying for competitions throughout the year and it seems that numbers involved
continue to grow.
The evaluation by students at the end of the day was extremely positive, with the word “fun” being mentioned many times, but the day was
also a great learning experience.
Thank you to Mrs Guerin and Mr Grace, who both paid visits during the day, as well as to Mrs Vidot who contributed so much to teaching the
girls. Above all, however, congratulations to all the students whose enthusiasm, skill and involvement promise to make 2012 another
outstanding year for public speaking at OLMC.
PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITIONS
Applications for competitions are now open to all students. A list of available competitions, as well as preference forms, are available at the
Student Centre. Please be aware that because of the huge number of girls who apply, students cannot be guaranteed their first preference,
although all girls will be entered in at least one competition during the year. Girls who apply for competitions will be char ged a flat rate of $30
to cover entry fees as well as receiving a Public Speaking badge if they have not received one before.
Entries close this Friday and a full schedule of events for the year (and which ones girls are entered into) will be published next week. Girls
are contacted about three weeks in advance of their competition and receive individual help in the preparation of their speeches.
Mr Christopher Ostrowski
Public Speaking Coordinator
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Sport
Swimming Carnival
Our Twilight Swimming Carnival is being held on Thursday February 23 at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre. Notes and programs have
been sent out, so if anyone has not received these, please let us know.
All students are welcome to enter events on the day, but if they wish to be considered for selection in the PDSSSC Swimming Carnival or
would like an official time recorded, they will need to fill out an entry form from the Student Centre or from MyOLMC Sport.
Taekwondo
Justine Sangalang participated and represented NSW at the recent Australian National Team Selection Trials held on February 5 in Perth
WA for the World Taekwondo Junior Championships in Egypt. Abby settled for Bronze Medal and lost to the eventual winner from Victoria
with a score of 13-9. Abby was winning until the third and last round. It was a very good, high calibre match. Abby had fun at the tournament
and learned a lot from the experience. That is what is important and what will lead to better things in the future for her as she strengthens her
resolve and continues to train very hard for her goal in representing Australia in the future.
Coming Sports
In the coming days/weeks the following sports will have trials - Touch Football, Basketball and Soccer.
Currently the following sports have entry forms/registration due - IGSSA Swimming, Triathlon and Saturday Soccer.
Students are asked to read Parramatters and check out MyOLMC Sport.
NSWCCC – NEW Website
For all students who want to compete at, or enter in, a NSWCCC Sport, there is a new website - www.csss.nsw.edu.au.
You can view calendars, sports, information and entries.
All students who need to enter in a NSWCCC Trial will have to register on the site to fill out an online entry form. No more paperwork! For
NSWCCC Triathlon, Diving, Netball, Golf, Volleyball and Water Polo entries, please go to the website.
Apart from Water Polo all other sports registrations will be due soon.
Stuart Guthrie
Sports Coordinator
Parents
Parents & Friends Association contact details: [email protected]
School Fees for Term 1 2012
School fees were due on Friday February 10 2012. If your account remains outstanding then please ensure that the Business Office receives
payment promptly.
Any queries on fees can be directed to the Business Office on 8838 1214 weekdays during 8.00am – 4.00pm or email to
[email protected]
Frances Morgano
Assistant Accountant
From the Uniform Shop
Shop Location:
Telephone:
Trading times:
Price List:
Email:
4-6 Ross Street (corner of Trott Street)
8838 1275 (If unattended, please leave a message)
Monday and Wednesday – before school - 8:00am - 9:30am
Please visit College web site www.olmc.nsw.edu.au/generalinfo/uniformshop.html
[email protected]
Student uniform orders – Should the Uniform Shop hours not be convenient for you items can be ordered and paid for over the telephone
or via email. Items will then be left at the Student Centre for collection. Should you order the wrong size or item we will happily organise an
exchange.
Summer Dress – We are getting low on some sizes, so if you need to purchase an additional dress now is the time. Normally, after the
weather we have had recently, we have a run on summer dresses. Tracksuits are also in low supply until mid March.
Year 11 Hospitality students – We need to order the chef’s uniform. In order for us to have the correct sizes for you please visit the shop
and be outfitted. The cost of the chef’s uniforms will be $85.00.
Gold Merit Award Students – Students who left their blazer for embroidery before the school holidays can now collect them from the
Uniform Shop. We still have four to be collected. The next lot of embroidery will be organized at the end of Term.
Paul and Christine Bourke
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Smartfuel
Weeks commencing: Feb 20, Mar 19
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Maccaroni Cheese
Beef & Vegetable
Vegetarian Lasagna
Hot Box
Salad
Wrap/roll
Stir Fry
Thursday
Meatloaf with Mashed
Potato & Gravy
Friday
Crumbed Fish with
Potato Wedges
Bacon, Cherry Tomato
Nicoise Salad
& Rocket Pasta Salad
Roast Vegetables,
Fetta & Rice Salad
Chicken, Spinach &
tomato Pasta Salad
Greek Salad
Tandoori Chicken
Wrap
Cheese, Avocado &
Salad Wrap
Tuna, Basil & Tomato
Roll
RoastVegetable and
Tzatziki Wrap
Corned Beef & Salad
Roll
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