Filter Content
Dear Families
Welcome to Term 4! Although we start a new term, our natural focus starts to shift towards completion of this year, and planning for next year. This is most prominent by two key events at this stage of the year.
The first of these marking the culmination of formal lessons for our Year 12 students. This week I’ve had the pleasure of addressing the Year 12s at their Final Assembly, as well as their families as the Commissioning Mass. I have included below some excerpts of these speeches is appropriate at this time of year.
Graduating Class of 2020
Year 12s, I bet you can remember sitting in this gym over the last few years when you've been at this very assembly. I often wonder what you might have been thinking at this time: whether it was in awe of the 12s who were on the final journey; a focus on with which emotions you'd finish the year; a thought that this day might never come; or a wonder as to what your Year 12 year might look like.
- We all had classes in term 1 and term 2 that were classified as remote learning.
- Events like Year 12 Retreat weren't like it would have been.
- Some your families' lives or employment have been affected by the COVID situation.
- Assemblies haven't been frequent and you haven't heard me speak very often.
- You've had some restrictions placed upon you re. travel, etc.
However, let's look at these from a glass half full approach, a growth mindset if you will:
- Through taking a different approach to learning, you've learned invaluable independent working skills as well as the importance of being connected.
- As Year 12s, you were the first cohort to be able to, after spending time with eachother in the outdoors and connection to creation, enjoy a sleepover at your school, and in brand new building.
- You perhaps had the values of family, friendship and companionship stripped back and redefined as you learned to value time together that you may have previously taken for granted.
- Assemblies haven't been frequent and you haven't heard me speak very often (!!!)
- Instead of looking beyond and afar, you’ve had local gifts, talents and experiences highlighted to you where perhaps you were previously not aware of them.
I want to leave you with this sense. 2020 is what it is and what it will be, and while the goalposts or parameters have shifted, the goals or aims remain the same or perhaps have been clarified through the events of this year: this year is for you to make of it what you will in order for you to achieve your best.
You are powerful. You reject limitations imposed by perception or circumstance. You have developed the tools, capacity, and knowledge to build the life we desire for yourselves, your families and our communities, both local and global. As drivers of change, you will seek to be leaders for the world God desires.
In 2020, to see the world that God Desires' can be unclear and difficult. There are examples around the cotemporary world where this lack of clarity is evident: leadership, political spheres and the environment just to name a few. However, perhaps this year, through your experiences at Thomas More College, you have been presented with an opportunity to Thrive, develop capabilities and be leaders. Perhaps, rather than 'just getting through', you understand more deeply that the mission of our Catholic School is to help you be best version of yourself for you and when helping others.
When I reflect as your Principal, I think this is the World God Desires for you Thrive through your capabilities as a Thomas More-Shaped Graduate and construct a world where you can emerge as a hero in society by finishing off this year as well as you can, to be the best person you can be.
Student Leadership 2021
This second key event of this week to mark this transition is the processes for, and announcement of, our Student Leadership Team for 2021. In talking with our new student leaders, we discussed the idea of ‘risk versus reward’ in leadership, in the sense that leadership is more about what you put in that what you get out. It was great to hear our future leaders respond to this challenge in that that they are very much looking forward to the servant leadership that these positions call of them.
I am very pleased to announce the following leaders for 2021:
College Captains | Matthew Amato | Tahlia Malins |
College Vice Captains | Daniel Tran | Madeline Conte |
Social Justice Leaders | Celina Papillo Lisa Le |
Ben Bui Amelia Kong |
Year 12 Student Representative Council | Kasey Kostiuk Hayley Druce Rohan Eldridge Siomonn Hutchinson |
Sophie Jamal Anh Dang Tahira Rahemi |
Their first task was to keep this off social media until this has been announced - and they’ve succeeded!
It was a great week to be a Principal of the awesome school that is Thomas More College.
Take Care
Corey Tavella
Principal
Recently we were joined by David Booth, Indigenous artist and performer, who lead a cultural awareness workshop that allowed students to develop a deeper understanding of Aboriginal culture. Through storytelling, dance, music and sharing artefacts and bush tucker students were able to connect with David and his Aboriginal culture.
Assistant Principal Identity & Mission
Welcome
Welcome to the 1st edition of the Thomas More College Library #librarylife newsletter for Term 4 2020. We hope you all enjoyed your holiday break and are ready to get started on the last term of 2020.
In the next few weeks, we will be saying goodbye to our Senior students as they complete their Year 12 studies and move forward to exams or other future career paths. We wish all our Year 12 students all the best for exams and their futures beyond secondary school.
My Favourite Book Review
Here is Mr Cunningham enjoying his favourite book: ‘Watership Downs’ by Richard Adams
Describe this book in 6 words: There’s always a place called home
Book Week 2020
This year, Book Week was deferred due to COVID-19 restrictions in place earlier in the year so we will be celebrating Book Week this term, in week 2 from the 19-23 October.
To celebrate this years’ Book Week theme “Curious Creatures, Wild Minds” the Resource Centre have several competitions and some fun activities students can participate in, including a daily quiz on LMS with a prize for the first correct answers per day.
Cadbury the College snake will be making an appearance on the lush green lawn between Assisi and Faulkner during lunch, so if you’re interested in seeing him having a stretch on the lawn please visit but remember to keep your noise levels to a minimum so we don’t upset him. There may be an opportunity to have a photo with him, but numbers will be limited so please be patient and listen to instructions provided by staff, and make sure you sanitize your hands before approaching him and after touching him.
Find the teacher wearing the Book Week sticker competition: Each day during Book Week there will be 7 different teachers wearing a Book Week sticker on their person. See if you can find the teachers each day to win a cool prize!
Can you name the book from the snippet of the book cover? competition: There will be 10 images from different book covers displayed in the Resource Centre. If you can name them all correctly there is a fun prize to win!
Can you name the ‘Mad Scientist’ behind the Book? competition: Guess who is dressed as a Mad Scientist behind the book to win a fun prize! Good luck, some are very tricky, but we have given students a few clues to help you work out who it is!!!!!
Get caught reading competition: Take a photo of yourself reading a book in a most unusual, inspiring, secretive place or situation. Students can work in groups if they prefer or on their own. Photos must be received by Resource Centre staff by Monday 26 October for judging. The winning photo will be announced in Week 4 and will be displayed in the Resource Centre for everyone to view, and the prize will be presented to the winning student or students when announced.
Good luck and have fun reading
Display Cabinet
The Library’s latest display cabinet celebrates this year’s Book Week theme ‘Curious Creatures, Wild Minds’ with a second display on the new book stand in the Library showing all the CBCA Book Week nominations for Book of the Year. Winners will be announced shortly so keep an eye out on the display.
Please note that books on display on the new book stand are unable to be borrowed until after Book Week celebrations end. If there is a book on the display you would like to borrow please speak with Library staff to place a hold on the book for you.
Some changes in the Library
The Resource Centre staff have recently purchased new chairs for the Reading area in the Resource Centre. These chairs are extremely colourful to match the chairs purchased at the beginning of the year for the charging benches. There are also 4 new ottomans in the Resource Centre with a fun Indigenous art theme for students to sit on while reading a book during class time.
Mrs Kranendonk plans on replacing the remaining fabric chairs in the Research area in 2021.
Inspirational Quote of the Week | #Keep Calm and study like Granger…
Uniform Shop Opening Hours
Mondays: 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Thursdays: 8:00am - 10:00am
Fridays: 2:00pm - 4:00pm
First Saturday of Every Month: 10:00am - 12:00pm
Healthy Eating... Healthy Lifestyles
Thomas More College supports the Rite Bite Strategies introduced for South Australian Schools as well as an overall healthy approach to living and lifestyle. This is an initiative we encourage all of our community to take up, not just our students. The College would like to invite staff, students and parents to contribute recipes which meet these guidelines, as displayed on our website, for our newsletter so that we can all benefit from our collective knowledge and resources. Please enjoy the following recipe.
Balsamic Lamb Rack with Potato Salad
Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
1kg baby potatoes
2 teaspoons olive oil
800g lamb rack roast
⅓ cup (80ml) balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, crushed
100g green beans, trimmed
100g snow peas, trimmed
3 radishes, thinly sliced
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
⅓ cup (80ml) potato salad dressing
Method
Preheat oven to 200°C. Cook the potatoes in a saucepan of boiling salted water for 12-15 minutes or until just tender. Drain and set aside to cool. Halve.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Brown both sides of the lamb in the pan for 5 minutes. Combine the vinegar, brown sugar and garlic in a small bowl. Brush the lamb with the glaze, reserving any remaining glaze. Place the lamb on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast for 30 mins. Cover the lamb with foil and set aside for 10 mins to rest. Slice into cutlets.
Meanwhile, blanch beans and snow peas in a saucepan of boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold water. Slice beans and halve snow peas diagonally. Place in a serving bowl with potato, radish, spring onion and dressing. Toss to combine.
Heat the remaining glaze in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until thickened slightly. Drizzle cutlets with the glaze and serve with the potato salad.