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10 Contents Welcome 3
A moment with Mrs Terrie Jones
Stories from across the School 4
VCE Results: Celebrating the Class of 2018
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Meet Mrs Nicole Ginnane – Associate Head (K–6)
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Extended Tuition Program
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Restoring Marlton House
13 Seb performs in Iconic Production, Evita the Musical 13 Cam announced as Ambassador to The Fred Hollows Foundation 14 The exciting future of AFLW at St Michael’s
Community connections 20 From the Archives 22 St Michael’s Parent Community Association 24 Celebrating our volunteers
16 The 2019 St Michael’s student production
25 Upcoming events
17 Felix and Ellie share their achievements in Science and Performing Arts
28 Reunions
26 Old Michaelians 29 Community notices
18 The School’s new VR space
10 Celebrating musical talent at the Twilight Music Festival 12 Year 5 students step back in time at Sovereign Hill
Cover image: Year 12 student Evie Craig breaking through the pack during the 2018 ACS Senior Girls Football Grand Final. In our ongoing quest to minimise the School’s environmental impact hard copies of The Crest are printed on 99% FSC recycled paper.
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A moment with Mrs Terrie Jones “In deciding to launch this new publication, The Crest, we are honouring the past and heralding the future.”
Welcome to the first edition of The Crest! This magazine-style publication will curate news and stories from across the School and present them to our community twice a year. The Crest is a new publication but one steeped in a long tradition of magazines at St Michael’s. Previous School magazines include The Collegiate School Magazine (first published in 1911), The Michaelian News and M News, and last year, our students produced and edited a student magazine, The Phoenix. The decision to re-cast the title of this magazine is deliberate. The Annual Year Book for St Michael’s is called The Michaelian and feedback from community members pointed to some confusion around the difference between the annual publication and the more regularly produced Michaelian News
(published from 1983), which was later abbreviated to M News and published from 2009 to 2016. In deciding to launch this new publication, The Crest, we are honouring the past and heralding the future. The Crest evokes the badge of St Michael’s Grammar School, an enduring signifier of the School’s narrative and history, emblematic of our shared history but in its variations, also indicative of the School’s progressive and evolving nature. This fine school, its values and purpose, all inextricably link to our founding Sisters of the Church and their patron saint, the Archangel Michael, a model of bravery, service and love. The School’s iconography provides a common foundation to our diverse set of
individual stories lived out in the School since 1895. The School song includes the line, ‘though far from thee we wander, thy badge we’ll not forget,’ and indeed, to all associated with the School, our Crest is immediately recognisable in its many forms, embroidered on the blazer, on the School letterhead, on students’ bags, on the side of buildings and on the badges of our School Leaders. The School’s Crest connects us all across time and place and reflects the purpose of the magazine: to build connections between the School and current, future and Old Michaelians. We hope you enjoy the insights and news herein and look forward to your feedback and contributions to assist in making The Crest the best reflection of our dynamic and vibrant community.
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Stories from across the School
Year 12 students decorated their uniforms in celebration of their last day of school
VCE Results: Celebrating the Class of 2018 Preparing our students for the next step in their lives is our fundamental obligation at St Michael’s. It is with great pleasure that we are able to share the wonderful VCE results and tertiary offers of the Class of 2018. “Our students have a long history of continuing to tertiary study and into various post school pathways,” said Head of the School, Mrs Terrie Jones. “Many of the Class of 2018 have achieved an ATAR and received an offer that will enable them to take that next step into a tertiary course in their chosen area of study.” 4
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2018 was a great year of VCE performances at St Michael’s, reflected by the fact that 6% of the cohort achieved ATARs of 98 or above, 30% of the cohort had an ATAR of 90 or above and 56% of the cohort had an ATAR of 80 or above. We congratulate our Dux of the School for 2018, Stan Russo, who applied himself to the challenging academic subject mix of Chemistry, Specialist Mathematics, Physics, Mathematical Methods and English, to achieve an outstanding ATAR score of 99.15. We would also like to congratulate Bronte Smeaton and Natasha Vranes on their respective scores of 99.1 and 99. Bronte achieved a perfect score of 50 in Studio Arts (Mixed Media) and Natasha achieved two perfect scores in Health and Human Development and Psychology. Olivia Walker in Food Studies and Jemma Hunter in Health and Human Development also achieved perfect study scores this year in their respective subjects.
From our Class of 2018, 142 students undertook VCE, and 131 of our students applied for tertiary courses. Of the 131 students, 100% received a January or February offer through VTAC. Reflecting the diversity of interests and abilities of St Michael’s students, a wide variety of single and double degree courses were chosen by our students. The majority of offers were for courses in the areas of Society and Culture, Management and Commerce, Creative Arts, and Natural and Physical Sciences. Many of our students will also study interstate and overseas, and some have chosen to take a gap year to work and travel. We are extremely proud of the Class of 2018’s results and congratulate all Year 12 students on their personal achievements. It is encouraging to know that they leave St Michael’s equipped with the confidence and clarity of purpose to make the most of the world’s opportunities.
A student’s guide to tackling VCE We asked some of our students from the Class of 2018 to share their tips for future VCE students.
Bronte Smeaton “My biggest piece of advice for VCE is to stay consistent across the year. From the very start of the year I worked hard to make sure I was always on top of my workload commitments. This made it much easier when it came to exam time. My second piece of advice, is to pick the subjects you love. Don’t get caught up in the subjects that scale up or seem ‘more challenging’, I was able to work hard and achieve high results because I was genuinely passionate about what I was learning.” Bronte led the students of St Michael’s as Co-Captain of the School, performed in the Senior Musical, played sport, worked tirelessly to help the School community break the Merry Month of May charity donation record, and applied herself to all her subjects to achieve a remarkable ATAR of 99.10 which included a perfect score of 50 in Studio Arts (Mixed Media).
Hugo Taylor “I think the best piece of advice you can give an incoming VCE student – I received this when I started VCE – is to choose subjects that you actually enjoy doing. It just makes VCE that much more approachable and enjoyable, and will help you a lot in working towards your personal academic goals. I also found that I needed a regular exercise regime, as the quality of my sleep, and thus concentration, was heavily correlated to the amount of exercise I was doing.” Hugo completed 15 years of schooling at St Michael’s in 2018, having commenced at the School in 3 Year Old Kindergarten. In Year 12, Hugo embraced the leadership role of Co-Captain of Kilburn House and achieved a remarkable ATAR that placed him in the top 2% of the state.
Clare Olding “It is hard to give advice, because everyone’s brain works differently, but I do think when people talk about balance they’re right. Keep up your non-academic passions and have some goals and things planned that have nothing to do with the classroom. It’s also really important to think longer term than the end of the year and your results, so that no matter what number you get at the end of the year it doesn’t really affect how you view yourself as a person.” In 2018, Clare was awarded the Prize For An Outstanding Achievement By A Girl In The Area Of Science at Speech Night, was Captain of Outdoor Education, pursued her passion for sailing, shaved her head during the Merry Month of May to raise money and awareness for the Leukaemia Foundation and excelled in her chosen subjects of Physics, Chemistry, English, Product Design & Technology and Mathematical Methods to achieve a remarkable ATAR of 98.1.
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Mrs Nicole Ginnane helping Year 1 student Henri during a maths lesson
Empowering students in the junior years – Meet Mrs Nicole Ginnane, Associate Head (K–6) This year, it has been wonderful to welcome Mrs Nicole Ginnane to the School as Associate Head (K–6). Having held a number of senior positions in schools in Victoria and New South Wales, Nicole brings a breadth and depth of experience to St Michael’s and a strong focus on educating the whole child. Since commencing at the beginning of Term 1, Nicole has been busy getting to know the staff, students and families in Kindergarten to Year 6, and can often be seen at the Marlton gate, greeting families as they arrive in the morning. 6
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“I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the staff and students at St Michael’s,” said Nicole. “The commitment and professionalism of staff has been very impressive, as is their openness to ensuring that St Michael’s remains at the forefront of education in the early and junior years.” Nicole is committed to continuing to embed Reggio Emilia and project-based learning concepts into teaching and learning at St Michael’s, and seeing how these concepts can further influence our approach in Kindergarten to Year 6. “We have a strong image of the child as capable and creative learners,” said Nicole. “It’s exciting to see this further grow as we challenge students to be more active in their learning and to be empowered to lead their learning to the next level.” “St Michael’s is a vibrant school with so much to look forward to across the year,” said Nicole. “I have heard that the Year 1 Nativity play is wonderful, and I am also looking forward to spending time with students on Exodus.” At the beginning of Term 1, in order for our School community to get to know Nicole, the students from Kindergarten to Year 6 developed a list of questions to ask Nicole.
Here are some of their questions and Nicole’s responses: What are you passionate about? – Felix, Year 3 I am passionate about learning and especially helping children to learn. I think that is the main reason why I have not left school yet. I have been going to a school every day since I was five years old, which is a long time! What do you like to do in your spare time? – James, Year 4 I like to walk my dog, read books, and I also enjoy doing yoga or pilates. I start each day with either a yoga or pilates class. I love going to the beach – my perfect day involves a book and the beach. What type of music do you like? – Angie, Year 6 I like listening to all sorts of music, when I was in Year 6 I was a major Abba fan! I would listen to my Abba records and dance around the house which was very annoying to everyone else. I still know all of the words to every Abba song but they’re not my favourite band anymore. You can read the full article on the St Michael’s website: stmichaels.vic.edu.au/ community/news/get-to-know-mrs-nicoleginnane-associate-head-k-6
Extended Tuition Program Students discover new interests and talents In Term 1, St Michael’s commenced an Extended Tuition Program which augments our Out of School Care program. Studies have shown that student involvement in extended tuition can promote a sense of engagement with school, which in turn has a positive influence on achievement, attendance and aspiration to higher levels of education. The School is currently running three additional after-school programs; Hip Hop Dance, Young Engineers and a Melbourne City Soccer Program. The Extended Tuition Program has been very popular and it is exciting to hear from both students and families about their experience of the new program.
Hip Hop Taught by industry professional, Jack May, Hip Hop is an energetic street dance style which encompasses a free, funky and playful expression of movement. These classes are creative, fun and engaging. Year 8 student Poppy participated in her first Hip Hop class this year. “It was really good, the class was quite hard and fast but it was still lots of fun,” said Poppy. “I did a lot of dance classes when I was younger so it’s really nice to be able to start dancing again and to be able to do something a bit different after school.”
Melbourne City Soccer Benefiting from the School’s partnership with Melbourne City Football Club, this program is conducted by accredited coaches who utilise the Melbourne City College of Football coaching program. In the sessions, students learn fundamental motor skills, drills, game-like concepts, along with football conditioning and development. Year 3 student Oliver is participating in the program and also plays soccer outside of school. “I’m really enjoying learning new skills and playing the game, it’s also helping me to play better at soccer after school,” said Oliver.
Young Engineers Available to students in Prep to Year 6, the Young Engineers program uses Lego as a tool to teach Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) skills to primary school students. Once a week the students come together to learn engineering through play. “Lego provides the perfect platform that is universally understood for learning STEM for all ages,” said Shweta Shetty, Director of Young Engineers. Students in Prep to Year 2 focus on mechanical engineering and students in Years 3 to 6 focus on software engineering and machine communication. “Each week we work on a new project and we get to build things and make them move, it’s really cool,” said Year 6 student, Olivia. The Extended Tuition Program is proving to be a weekly highlight for students, and the School is looking forward to introducing additional after-school programs to the schedule later this year. Stay tuned for more information in the coming months. The Crest Issue 1 2019
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2018
1904 Restoring Marlton House – the School’s original building
Students in the junior years returned to St Michael’s this year to discover exciting changes to the learning spaces in Marlton House. St Michael’s relies on the longer breaks to maintain our buildings without interrupting student learning. Over the Christmas and New Year break, the School’s original building, Marlton House, was stripped to its bare bones to undergo substantial work. Looking at the School’s history, the following quote reveals the promise the Sisters saw in Marlton House. Having acquired a long-term lease on the House before committing to the purchase of the building, Sister Bridget wrote to Mother Emily in England in 1895: “Enchanted with the place – already seventeen rooms and room to expand in – two storied house, very shabby of course but most capable of improvement – nice bit of garden, also very dilapidated.” In early 1895, the Sisters (Hannah, Rose, Bridget and Phyllis) worked with their own hands to lay linoleum, staining and rubbing a wooden border around it and wallpapering the walls in blue. They sought donations of money and furniture, ordered school desks and prepared a prospectus in handwritten cursive in preparation for opening their school. At the same time, they were running a second-hand shop in Chapel Street to provide an extra income stream to fund their efforts. The Sisters later supplemented their meagre income by running a dog shelter in the back garden of Marlton House.
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1. During the substantial restoration works the floor was pulled up in some rooms 2. The walls in Marlton House have also undergone repairs 3. The restored entrance way to Marlton House 4. Classrooms now have additional storage space 5. The Marlton House staircase 6. Students returned to refreshed and vibrant classrooms
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4 They also kept a vegetable garden, a cow in the paddock and over the course of their first year, they enrolled 95 students. The Sisters truly were enterprising, creative and dedicated women! In 2018, designer Christopher Elliott ran a series of iterative consultations with our students and staff to ensure that the learning spaces reflected their thinking and needs. The works on Marlton House have restored its glory and created fresh and vibrant learning spaces for our students. “I think the Sisters would be proud that we have bestowed upon Marlton House, the original site of their educational endeavours, all of our love and care. It was their home, their workplace and embodied their purpose,� said Mrs Terrie Jones, Head of the School.
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Year 8 student Teddy Friend playing the Bass Guitar
Celebrating musical talent at the Twilight Music Festival
“From the Chapel Street gate to Dolly’s Café, there was music all around us.” Mr Ben Moody, Director of Performing Arts
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On a balmy autumn evening the School community came together to celebrate musical talent at the Twilight Music Festival. The Festival was a fantastic event filled with spectacular performances by choirs and bands from across the School, involving students from Years 5 to 12.
School of Rock,” said Director of Performing Arts, Mr Ben Moody. “From the Chapel Street gate to Dolly’s Café, there was music all around us as we celebrated the inclusion and diversity of which we are all so proud of here at St Michael’s.”
“It was wonderful to see so many members of the St Michael’s community gathered to listen to a stunning array of musical repertoire, while sharing in the chance to socialise with each other at the Twilight Music Festival,” said Head of the School, Mrs Terrie Jones. “Smiles, warm greetings and praise for the talents of our music students and their teachers characterised the evening and the autumn weather was certainly very kind to us.”
Twilight Music Festival is a collaborative event which sees the School’s Performing Arts Faculty supported by contributions from the Parent Community Association (PCA), Old Michaelians, and student volunteers.
Members of our community enjoyed a festive atmosphere with multiple performance stages spread around the School providing an interactive and engaging musical experience. “The performance program included something for everyone, beginning with choirs and chamber ensembles and concluding with the energetic performances of the Jazz Bands and
Like last year, PCA volunteers provided wonderful food for guests as well as dinner for all student performers, and Year 10 students participating in the Cambodia Immersion project raised funds to support the School’s partner organisations in Cambodia. The students fundraising efforts were greatly supported by the School’s coffee cart which was donated by the PCA, and a fairy floss machine lent to the School by St Michael’s parent Adam Walker. Congratulations to all our talented performers, and thank you to everyone who helped to make the evening a success.
1 1. VCE Jazz Combo performing on the Hewison House lawn 2. Stage Band performing on Dolly’s deck 3. Year 10 students ran stalls to support the School’s partner organisations in Cambodia
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4. Years 7–9 Harrison Choir performing in the Quad
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Year 5 students panning for gold at Sovereign Hill
Year 5 students step back in time at Sovereign Hill Early in Term 1, Year 5 students visited Sovereign Hill to discover the excitement of Ballarat’s 1850s Goldrush and learn about life in the Goldfields. As part of their Term 1 Transdisciplinary Learning, Year 5 students investigated Australian history and the colonisation of Australia. At Sovereign Hill, this period in Australia’s history comes to life. Year 5 student Ruby wrote a reflection about the excursion from the perspective of a Sovereign Hill resident who was disturbed by a boisterous group of St Michael’s students.
On the seventh day of the second month of the year 2019, a band of unsavoury foreign travellers invaded our dear Sovereign Hill, in Ballarat. Calling themselves the Year 5s of St Michael’s Grammar. As I was scrubbin’ my pots and pans they barged in an’ claimed to have rights to explore our little town, God save us, an’ the Queen, and started interruptin’ our blacksmiths, demandin’ for a lesson in smelting our gold. They even bullied our blacksmith into lettin’ those loud children hold $180,000 worth o’ bullion. I always thought children should be seen and not heard. After that while pushin’ their way into our sweet shop and watchin’ our lolly makers, while shouting at them for boiled sweets, they even had the nerve to take our beloved raspberry drops, even if they did pay for ‘em. Splittin’ up so they could harass us more, one group came into our mine camp and pretended to be the law and workers, which I’m sure is a crime, and earned money by it, with the winning team earning 25 pounds! The other group was questioning our state-of-the-art medical knowledge and they dared to talk about ladies fashion and even under clothes! They even embarked down the hazardous Red Hill Mine, taking no notice of warnings of flooding and collapses, but they did witness the discovery of the second largest nugget in the world, The Welcome Nugget. After the Red Hill Mine, they started running downhill to pan for gold, even taking lessons from a runaway convict in disguise! After the warden shot a rifle at the prisoner a few of the travellers screamed! You could have thought they fell in the water, the way they carried on. Only three or four people found specks of gold. As they walked back towards their strange rectangular vehicles, I thanked my God that they were on their merry way and that I could finally go back to washing my dishes on a quiet Thursday morning. Written by Year 5 student, Ruby
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Seb performs in iconic production, Evita the Musical Year 4 student Seb Astill recently performed in the iconic production Evita the Musical at the Arts Centre Melbourne. Evita was Seb’s first professional appearance, where he joined a stellar cast of experienced performers, including Tina Arena. Being part of a large professional production at such an early age was a wonderful learning experience for Seb. “I enjoyed the whole experience, it was amazing to perform on stage with the cast,” said Seb. “I learnt a lot about what it’s like to perform professionally.” The production team made sure Seb and the rest of the young performers were getting the most out of the experience, each young cast member worked with two chaperones and a ‘stage dad’ – a cast member who mentors the younger performers.
“I really looked up to my ‘stage dad’ Thomas, he is a fantastic dancer and I hope to be able to dance like him one day,” said Seb.
Passion for equality – Cam announced as Junior Ambassador to The Fred Hollows Foundation
Seb is already being recognised as a talented dancer. Earlier this year he commenced training with the Elite Dance Squad at Patrick Studios, one of Australia’s leading performing arts schools. “I was invited to audition for Patrick Studios last year, and I got in!” said Seb. “It’s great, we’re learning all types of dance, and we’re even going to start learning gymnastics.” Along with being a talented dancer Seb also performs in the Years 3–4 Chamber Choir and the Year 4 Harrison Choir. We would like to congratulate Seb on his achievements, and we look forward to following his journey in performing arts.
Cam and Mr Nichols at the award ceremony
Year 7 student Cam Tregaskis was announced as the 2018 Victorian Junior Ambassador to The Fred Hollows Foundation at a ceremony at the Melbourne Town Hall in November last year. The Fred Hollows Humanity Award recognises Year 6 students who ‘follow in Fred’s footsteps by making a positive difference in their community’, and celebrates students who ‘show compassion, integrity and kindness in their everyday lives’. On receiving the Award Cam said he felt really proud and that it was wonderful to be recognised. “It was a big surprise, I didn’t even know I had been nominated when Mr Nichols announced the Award in class,” said Cam. Seb with his chaperones
“I learnt a lot about what it’s like to perform professionally.” Seb accepting flowers on closing night
Seb Astill, Year 4 student
As Junior Ambassador to The Fred Hollows Foundation, Cam was given the opportunity to allocate $5,000 to one of The Foundation’s programs to end avoidable blindness, choosing to support the Foundation’s Indonesia Program, which addresses childhood blindness in the Nusa Tenggara Barat Province. We congratulate Cam on this well-deserved achievement, he is a fantastic ambassador to the Foundation, just as he is a role model to his fellow classmates at St Michael’s. The Crest Issue 1 2019
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1. Winnie Laing, Year 11 student, was integral to the success of the team last year 2. St Michael’s Girls Football team celebrate winning the inaugral ACS Girls Football premiership in 2018
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3. Mima Golias kicks forward in the Grand Final
“My advice to any girls considering playing football, is to just go for it, you’ll love it!” Mima Golias, Year 12 student and Girls Football Co-captain
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The exciting future of AFLW at St Michael’s In 2018, St Michael’s introduced the School’s very first AFL Women’s (AFLW) team that competed in the inaugural season of ACS Senior Girls Football. The team performed extremely well throughout the season, going on to win the premiership in an exciting match against St Leonard’s! Leading the Senior Girls Football team this year are Year 12 students and Girls Football Co-captains, Evie Craig and Mima Golias, who are excited and optimistic about the future of AFLW at St Michael’s. “We have a lot of pride in being part of the School’s first AFLW team,” said Evie. “It’s awesome to know that you are representing a group of girls who are keen to play the sport and haven’t had the chance to before.”
This year, the team commenced training in Term 1, and it has been wonderful to see the enthusiasm and team spirit on display. “Playing football is so much fun,” said Mima. “You get to run around with your friends and have a good time.” Finding a balance between study and sporting commitments is important, especially for our senior students as they embark on their VCE studies. “One of the things we’re encouraged to do in Year 12 is to keep active,” said Evie. “Football training is a good way to balance school work with keeping fit and socialising with your friends.”
In finding a balance between study and football, Evie and Mima are both inspired by Old Michaelian and AFLW 2018 number one draft pick Isabel Huntington (OM 2017). “Isabel was Co-captain of the School, played football and gained an amazing ATAR score.” said Evie. “Now she’s playing AFLW for the Western Bulldogs while studying medicine, she’s incredible,” said Mima. The girls are looking forward to the upcoming ACS Football season and hope to once again win the premiership trophy for St Michael’s.
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Year 11 student Joshua Sitch and Year 12 student Sam Deshayes performing in, the Student Production, Family Reunion
Years 10–12 students during rehearsal for the Student Production, Family Reunion
The 2019 St Michael’s Student Production – gritty, raw and laugh out loud funny The annual St Michael’s Years 10–12 Student Production is a highly prized opportunity for students to take the reins and demonstrate the range of skills they have mastered in their journey through the School’s Performing Arts Program.
“Not only did we have to pitch our ideas and script but we also needed to demonstrate how well we worked together,” said Mitch. “It was really important that we were able to work as a team to develop and lead the production.”
Year 12 students Ethan Hunter and Mitch Agee led the production this year, fulfilling the roles of writers and directors to bring their original creation, Family Reunion, to audiences.
After Ethan and Mitch were selected to write and direct the production, they were given the exciting opportunity to work with script consultant, Jennifer Medway, a Literary Associate at the Melbourne Theatre Company.
Family Reunion explored a complex family dynamic in a mature and sophisticated script brought to life by a talented cast of senior students. Ethan and Mitch commenced working on the Family Reunion script in early 2018, and pitched it to a panel of Performing Arts staff members including Mr Ben Moody, Director of Performing Arts, Ms Annie Fiume, Head of Dance and Drama, and Mr Callum Dale, Theatrical Productions Manager.
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“It was amazing to be able to work with a professional like Jennifer, she really helped us with our script writing and gave us interesting insights into the performing arts industry,” said Mitch. As writers and directors, Ethan and Mitch sat in the audience for opening night, witnessing a year of hard work, creativity and learning come to life on stage.
“It was quite nerve-racking,” said Ethan. “As soon as I heard the crowd laugh I felt a wave of relief go over my body.” Integral to the success of the production was the involvement of the entirely student led cast and crew. “We were really lucky to have an amazing cast and crew,” said Ethan. “At times it was challenging to direct your peers, but everyone was really understanding.” “It all came together in the end and we couldn’t be more proud of the creation we made with the cast and crew,” said Mitch. Congratulations to all of the students who were involved in the production and thank you to all the staff who offered their support.
Leading the way in Biology – Felix participates in the Australian Science Olympiads “The program gave me a lot of insight into being a first-year biomedicine student,” said Felix. “It was really interesting and quite challenging.” “The content we studied was very broad. We studied things like plant structure, the human body, species and evolution,” he said. “The course was also intense, we studied for two weeks, with one day off in the middle and started classes at 8.30am and finished most nights at around 10.30pm.” The program also enabled the students to develop their critical thinking and study skills. “A lot of science is thinking-based and the summer school helped me learn to think clearly which I can apply in my other VCE subjects,” said Felix. Over the Christmas break, Year 12 student Felix Pemberton-Adams participated in the Australian Science Olympiads, a two-week program for top performing secondary science students held at Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra. Students from across Australia travelled to Canberra to undertake an intensive program in Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Science, or Physics. Felix was one of only 20 students selected to participate in the Biology program which is a condensed version of a first-year undergraduate biomedicine course. “I took an exam in June 2018, and from the exam, the program organisers selected the top 20 Biology students in Australia and offered them a place in the Olympiads,” said Felix. During the program, the students were given a taste of university life where they lived in ANU student accommodation and took their classes in lecture halls.
The Australian Science Olympiads is also the stepping stone to the International Science Olympiads which are considered to be the Olympic Games for Science students. The International Science Olympiads is being held in Hungary later this year, and at the conclusion of the Australian program, the students all undertook a further exam to determine which students will be invited to attend the International competition. Only four students will be selected and the successful students will be announced in June this year. Congratulations to Felix on being selected to attend the Australian Science Olympiads. We are extremely proud of his achievements and look forward to hearing about his future endeavours.
Ellie announced as Melbourne Theatre Company Ambassador Year 11 student Ellie Singe has joined a group of 16 students from around Victoria who have been selected as Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC) Ambassadors. In April this year the students embarked on the year-long MTC extension program which offers insight into the world of professional theatre. “Each month we attend an MTC production, meet with artists and staff, and share our experiences of theatre with the other student ambassadors,” said Ellie. “It’s a great experience for me as I have a really strong interest in stage management and lighting design.” Ellie was nominated for the program by Ms Kathryn Lucas, Acting Head of Dance and Drama, and Mr Callum Dale, Theatrical Productions Manager. “Ellie has shown an admirable level of maturity working on productions with fellow students, staff and external professionals,” said Ms Lucas. “It is our hope that Ellie will return from each Ambassador session inspired by the new processes and ideas introduced to her,” said Mr Dale. We congratulate Ellie on being selected and wish her all the best for her year with MTC. The Crest Issue 1 2019
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1. Virtual Reality (VR) artwork created by Year 11 student Monique Lansell 2. VR artwork, The Magic Faraway Tree by Year 2 students 3. Year 3 students used their creativity in the new VR room during art class 4. Trying out the new VR room 5. Students assembling the School’s new VR computer 6. Year 11 Psychology students using VR to diffuse a bomb
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Learning through technology – the School’s new VR space St Michael’s recently completed the installation of its first dedicated Virtual Reality (VR) space, funded by a grant from the Parent Community Association (PCA). “VR is an increasing presence in commercial, artistic, scientific and research environments,” said Mr Gerard Houlihan, Deputy Head of the School. “It is important that schools provide opportunities for students and teachers to embrace VR technology and develop the necessary skills, knowledge and interest to further their capacity in this field.” Year 9 students Tim Ronchi and Liam Whitehouse were given the exciting challenge of building the brand new
computer that is used in the School’s first dedicated VR space. “Both Tim and I were excited to get started with choosing parts for the computer,” said Liam. “The most important part of a VR computer is the graphics card, and for this, we went for the best on the market, the Zotac Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, which costs $2,500,” he said. “At the time I never thought I would even have the chance to hold a RTX 2080 Ti.” When the parts arrived we were excited and determined to put the computer together,” said Liam. “We couldn’t believe it, once
we put all the pieces together in the case, added the graphics card, and turned the computer on, it actually worked!” St Michael’s now has two complete VR sets, enabling more students from across the School to gain hands-on experience with this technology. We look forward to realising new and exciting learning opportunities across the curriculum via the integration of VR, and seeing our students continue to develop their skills and knowledge with the technology.
Kingspray by Year 12 students Luca Concilia and Jan Wilmar
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Community connections
1. Sue Loughlin (OM 1972) teaching Year 1 students how to care for photographs
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2. Identifying photographs during an Archives workshop.
The Sandra Matheson Archives Our purpose-built Archives room is always a hive of activity with many wonderful developments taking place and new treasures being added to the collection each week. The Archives team of Sue Loughlin (OM 1972), Carolann Thomson (OM 1971) and Kim Crane née Bellamy (OM 1971) have been working diligently to improve access to the collection by re-housing all items to ensure they are easily accessible for display at reunions and School events. An exciting development in the Archives is the recent installation of a permanent display located in the window of the Archives room. “The display provides a welcome space for safely and securely exhibiting many items within the collection such as uniforms, hats, documents, books and
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badges, there is also an enclosed casing for delicate items such as china and glassware,” said Sue. “It’s wonderful to see the School community coming along and observing the displays that we have carefully put together,” said Kim. The Archives team are regularly connecting with current St Michael’s students in both planned programs and incidental encounters. “Year 1 students recently visited us as part of their Term 1 Grow Zone day, where they were learning about the past,” said Kim. “They were able to view and try on former St Michael’s uniforms, learn about how we safely store photographs, and discover old workbooks and learning resources.” The Archives team have been continuing to develop their knowledge and skills by attending archive workshops at other Australian Society of Archivists member schools. They recently visited Caulfield Grammar School where they viewed the school’s archives and spent time speaking with School archivist Judith Gibson.
All the wonderful work within the Archives would not be possible without the valuable assistance of the Old Michaelians who help and support the team during Archives Workshops and those who visit the Archives during their weekly openings.
Archives Workshop dates 2019 All Archives Workshops are held in The Gipson Commons.
• Saturday 15 June 1.00pm–3.30pm • Saturday 14 September 1.00pm–3.30pm • Saturday 16 November 1.00pm–3.30pm
Connect
Email: archives@stmichaels.vic.edu.au Phone: +61 3 8530 3318
From the Archives – The School Tuck Shop 1960
1 The Sisters’ diaries kept from 1895–1968 provide us with wonderful insights into the life of the School through the eyes of the Sister who was responsible for recording the daily, weekly and termly events.
1. The School Tuck Shop in the 1960s 2. Two girls chat outside the Tuck Shop in 1960
On 13 June 1960, the following note was recorded: ‘Public holiday, so no parents for the Tuck Shop. The Sisters provided food for the mid-morning break and the sixth forms for lunch. They were very successful ventures!’ While it might sound odd to read that students were at school on a public holiday, at this point in time students did not receive days off, instead they had a mid-term holiday. In the 1960s the School Tuck Shop was run by Mrs Glover, mother to Jennifer Glover (OM 1965) and then Mrs Gibson, mother to Sandra Hodgens née Gibson (OM 1967). The former School Tuck Shop was located on the ground floor of St Gabriel’s building which is now the far end of the Frances Newson Oval. Students could purchase warm peanut butter and honey rolls, vegemite rolls, biscuits, mint patties, chocolate, lollies, pies, frozen sunny boys and cream buns.
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The School has certainly changed a lot since 1960.
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1 St Michael’s Parent Community Association – Nurturing a sense of belonging 22
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The St Michael’s Parent Community Association (PCA) is continuing to provide many opportunities for the School community to engage with one another and support our students in their endeavours. “The PCA’s vision is to nurture a sense of belonging and create an exceptional School community experience for children and their parents,” said PCA President, Mark McGahan. The PCA has supported many School events this year, including the Head of the School’s Welcome to Parents Cocktail Evening and the Twilight Music Festival,
where PCA volunteers supplied food for student performers and hosted a BBQ and bake sale for Festival guests. The School community recently enjoyed the PCA Mother’s Day Lunch, and can look forward to upcoming PCA events including the Trivia Night, Father’s Day Breakfast, an Octavius Brown Kitchen Garden Working Bee and a Thank You to Teachers event toward the end of the year. “PCA Year Level Representatives and volunteers are also continuing to build connections between parents by organising family events, coffee mornings
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3 1. PCA President, Mr Mark McGahan and Head of the School, Mrs Terrie Jones
and various other activities,” said Mark. In addition to nurturing a sense of belonging, the PCA provides valuable services to the School community through monthly second-hand uniform sales. “Through various PCA led fundraising initiatives such as second-hand uniform sales, events and School functions, the PCA is able to offer grants to the School,” said Mark. “In 2018, the PCA provided grants to support a number of School initiatives.” These initiatives included a new scoreboard system in the gymnasium, the
School’s new VR room and headset, the purchase of a professional coffee machine for students to learn to make coffee and for use during School fundraising activities, the building of a new chicken coop in the Octavius Brown Kitchen Garden and two new water bottle refill stations. “We are also looking forward to finalising a number of PCA supported initiatives this year,” said Mark. “These include the installation of an external School Clock and the creation of a new play space for chess, checkers, naughts and crosses, foursquare and hopscotch in the junior years and a wellness garden
2. PCA volunteers at the Twilight Music Festival 3. Students making coffees at the Twilight Music Festival using the coffee cart purchased with a PCA grant
to provide a relaxed and contemplative space for students.” This year, the PCA has allocated $55,000 for grants. Applications for funded projects are open to all staff, students and parents and submissions are being accepted from the start of Term 2. It will be another exciting and busy year for the PCA and the many parent volunteers who dedicate their time and resources to supporting St Michael’s and our students.
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Celebrating our volunteers St Michael’s is greatly supported by volunteers from the School community who give their time and expertise to assist in many and varied ways. Volunteers play a valuable role in supporting student endeavours and we are extremely grateful for their contributions. We spoke to three of our valued volunteers, Maryanne, Mark and Jo, who reflected on their experiences volunteering with the School. If you would like to become involved please contact community@stmichaels.vic.edu.au.
Maryanne Quealy
Mark Deshayes
Jo Rosenthal
Maryanne has been actively volunteering with the School for many years and has found her niche volunteering to run the School’s second-hand uniform service.
Mark is father to Year 12 student Sam and is passionate about bringing communities together.
Jo began volunteering when her daughter started in Kindergarten, as she wanted to become more involved and to see what her daughter was experiencing during her school day.
“I spent 20 years working in the fashion industry, so working amongst clothes, marketing and sales is something I am very familiar with,” said Maryanne. “We have a lovely group of people, all from different backgrounds who enjoy spending time together.” A highlight of volunteering for Maryanne is the way that being involved helps to develop stronger connections between staff, parents and students. “I love that volunteering builds a great sense of community and we all find the work fulfilling because we know we are making a difference,” said Maryanne. “For me, volunteering is being grateful and I believe what I gain from the work far outweighs what I give.” Maryanne’s work in second-hand uniform sales has been invaluable, and St Michael’s thanks her for her generosity and ongoing support.
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“When my family joined St Michael’s in 2014 I was keen to volunteer my time,” said Mark. “It is wonderful to experience what our small individual efforts can achieve when combined as a whole. However you give of yourself it is given back to you in so many more and bigger ways.” Mark has been involved in the Performing Arts program at St Michael’s, in particular he has been a regular volunteer in the sewing bees for the School musicals. “I don’t sew costumes, but I have taken on fabric cutting, weaving, hat, mask and accessory making, shoe painting, and anything else thrown my way,” he said. “I have met some lovely and very dedicated teachers and parents, and witnessed the commitment, passion and talent of the students in the orchestra, crew and cast.” “It’s wonderful to celebrate what can be achieved through contributing together as a School community,” said Mark.
“I was among a group of parents who would sit and read to the children, help on excursions, act as an extra set of hands in the gym and help the children change into their swimming gear when they had swimming lessons,” said Jo. Jo then began assisting the French language teachers to create French experiences including serving Year 1 students ice-cream at the ‘French ice-cream café’. “The French café is always fun, it’s a great feeling to know I’ve entertained the children and empowered them with the knowledge that they can successfully order ice cream and a chocolat chaud (hot chocolate) in French,” said Jo. Volunteering has helped Jo to build strong connections within the School. “Volunteering is a great way to connect with other parents and staff, and to get to know the children who are friends with your own child,” said Jo.
Year 12 student, Isabella Dymalovski performing as Wednesday Addams in the 2019 Years 10–12 Musical, The Addams Family
Upcoming events Tuesday 21 May 2019 Tertiary and Careers Expo Wednesday 22 May Geoffrey Ryan Cup – 1st XVIII Football Friday 14 June PCA Trivia Night with Brian Nankervis Wednesday 24 July – Saturday 27 July Years 10–12 Play Twelfth Night* Thursday 8 July – Saturday 10 August Years 7–12 Dance Project* Wednesday 14 August 1st VII Netball Night Match Friday 30 August PCA Father’s Day Breakfast Saturday 7 September PCA Garden Working Bee Thursday 10 October – Saturday 12 October Years 7–9 Musical Joseph & the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat* Wednesday 16 October – Saturday 19 October Years 7–9 Play Oliver Twist* Thursday 28 November – Saturday 30 November Year 6 Musical Elf* Friday 25 October PCA Teacher Thank You Morning Tea
*Please note, details for ticketed events will be listed on our website ahead of the event date at stmichaels.vic.edu.au/events
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Old Michaelians Our Old Michaelians (OMs) continue to have a wonderful presence at the School, whether they are participating in School events, providing mentor support to students or attending reunions. Recently, we were delighted to see the familiar faces of some OMs who returned to St Michael’s to perform at the Twilight Music Festival. A number of OMs have also been getting together to play sports, including our OM volleyball team who have commenced their second season at MSAC, where they play in a fun and social competition. Another group of OMs are playing AFLW for the Canterbury Football Club women’s team, which is a great opportunity to connect with fellow classmates, old and new. Our dedicated Old Michaelian Committee (OMC) is continuing to provide many opportunities for OMs to connect with the School and one another. Last year, the OMC involved past students in the School’s Community Festival, inviting them to contribute products or services to a collective OM stall. It was a pleasure to be able to sell CDs on behalf of musician Jack Earle (OM 2013), jewellery designed by Isabella Armstrong (OM 2016) and have Daniel Amendola (OM 2011) from Kids Magic Life provide entertainment on the day. The OMC is also pleased to share the exciting news that they have launched a new OM badge which will be gifted to past students at School reunions. OMs who attend their peer-year reunion will receive a badge as a symbol of belonging to the St Michael’s community. Our Year 12 students continue to feel connected to the OM community during their final year of VCE. Throughout the year, as a small token of encouragement the OMC provides treats to the Year 12 students to help them stay motivated and feel supported.
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2 1. Oliver Paterson and Chris Vizard (both OMs 2008) performed at the Twilight Music Festival 2. Imogen Akers (OM 2013) played the bagpipes as part of an outstanding performance by the Wind Orchestra 3. OMC members Josh Barrow (OM 2009), Sue Loughlin (OM 1972) and Kim Crane née Bellamy (OM 1971) at the St Michael’s Community Festival
If you would like to connect with the Old Michaelian Committee please contact oldmichaeliancommittee@stmichaels.vic.edu.au.
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Beyond the School gates St Michael’s students choose many different pathways when they finish school, remaining connected to one another through our vibrant Old Michaelian network. It is with pleasure that we are able to share the stories of three Old Michaelians who have experienced unique journeys since leaving St Michael’s.
Rebecca Fraser (OM 1989)
Adriana Psaltis (OM 2012)
Professor Andrew MacLeod (OM 1985)
Rebecca is Head of Human Resources at Energy Australia where she is involved in every part of the organisation.
Adriana works in her dream career of Speech Pathology and holds two roles, Research Assistant at The University of Melbourne’s Centre for Neuroscience of Speech, and Speech Pathologist at Malvern Speech Pathology.
Andrew is Non-Executive Chairman of award winning Griffin Law, NonExecutive Director at Cornerstone Capital, and a Visiting Professor at Kings College London.
“I love the variety of my role, it’s a much more dynamic industry than I expected,” she said. “There are many interesting challenges such as the political landscape and its impact on our business through to trying to anticipate the effects of industry transition on our employees.” After finishing school, Rebecca took time to consider the possibilities available to her before choosing a career path. “I had no idea what I wanted to do when I finished school, despite sessions with the careers counsellor,” she said. “I took a gap year where I lived in France, then completed a Bachelor of Arts, travelled for another year and finally found my way into Human Resources.” Reflecting on her own journey, Rebecca has valuable insight for current students. “It doesn’t matter if you don’t have it all figured out when you finish school, be open to new experiences, take time to understand what you enjoy and you will find your way.”
“During my biology and psychology studies at St Michael’s, I developed a fascination for how movement and speech are innervated by the brain,” said Adriana. “I sharpened my theoretical knowledge through undergraduate studies in biology, psychology and linguistics at The University of Melbourne.” Adriana has been very successful in her studies, and was awarded Dux of her master’s cohort at the conclusion of her tertiary studies in 2018. “The opportunities afforded to me throughout my education have provided a foundation to my academic success and I continue to draw from these experiences when seeking new learning opportunities,” said Adriana. “These experiences encouraged me to pursue other learning opportunities throughout my tertiary studies.”
Recalling his time at St Michael’s, Andrew said, “I was amongst a group of recalcitrant trouble makers from a Melbourne independent school who made our way to St Michael’s in the early 80s.” “After failing Year 11 at my previous school and repeating Year 11 at St Michael’s, I found the learning environment and pastoral care to be much more genuine,” said Andrew. Andrew went on to study Law and Arts at the University of Tasmania and completed a Masters of International Law at the University of Southampton. Andrew is a recognised global leader, negotiator and communicator in the business, diplomatic and humanitarian fields, and in his limited spare time, continues his passion for swimming which he developed at school. “I kept up my swimming after school winning the silver medal at the World Masters Games for the 200m butterfly.”
Rebecca, Adriana and Andrew and are all connected on SMGS Generation, our exciting new online platform designed to benefit students, past and present, by providing opportunities to link their learning to the career skills and experience of our extensive parent and Old Michaelian network. Find out more and sign up at smgsgeneration.com.
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Reunions
1. Boarders Reunion 2. Class of 1981 – 1983 Reunion 3. Class of 1999, 20 Year Reunion 4. Class of 1989, 30 Year Reunion
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2 Upcoming reunions Class of 2004 – 15 Year reunion, Friday 30 August Class of 2009 – 10 Year Reunion, Friday 11 October Class of 1994 – 25 Year Reunion, Friday 25 October Class of 2014 – 5 Year Reunion, Friday 15 November
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Connect The Old Michaelian Facebook group and SMGS Generation are valuable tools for keeping in touch with former classmates and teachers, as well as staying up to date with St Michael’s news and events.
Contact Email: engagement@stmichaels.vic.edu.au Phone: +61 3 8530 3298
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Baby Joy
Vale
Ms Brydie Huggins (School Psychologist) and her husband Julian – Hazel born on 3 May 2018.
St Michael’s pays tribute to Old Michaelians and staff members who are no longer with us, and offer our condolences to their family and friends who are in our thoughts and prayers.
Mr Lee Gorner (Print Production Administrator) and his wife Emma – Justice born on 7 May 2018.
Ms Joanne Payne (OM 1972) passed away on 17 January 2018
St Michael’s has welcomed a number of new additions to our community.
Ms Stephanie Murphy (Academic Planning Co-ordinator) and her husband Matthew – Archibald born on 13 May 2018. Mrs Catherine Berry (Teacher) and her husband Jacob – Henry born on 11 June 2018. Ms Evette Cray (Teacher) and her husband Kent – Heath born on 15 July 2018. Ms Timea Caldow (People and Strategy Manager) and her husband Tim – Attila James (AJ) born on 18 June 2018.
Mrs Neralie Wise (OM 1961) passed away on 6 February 2018 Mr Harry Braby Former St Michaels Exam Invigilator passed away on 20 February 2018 Mr Costa Zygorodimos (OM 2013) passed away on 20 March 2018
Mr Jean-Lou Teycheney (Teacher) and his wife Nadine – Liam born on 12 November 2018.
Mrs Vikki Reeve (OM 1975) passed away on 24 March 2018
Ms Emily Greco (Director of Outdoor Education) and her husband Michael – Lily born on 23 November 2018.
Mr Robert Chapelle Former St Michael’s staff member passed away on 10 June 2018
Mrs Laura Munro (Co-ordinator of Enhancement Programs) and her husband Brendon – Matilda born on 3 April 2019. Ms Amelia Otto (Teacher) and her husband Brent – William (Billy) born on 13 April 2019.
Ms Leonie Hollingworth (OM 1956) passed away on 11 June 2018 Mr Anthony Harrold Former St Michael’s Exam Invigilator passed away on 5 August 2018 Mrs Gwen Shepherd (OM 1949) passed away on 9 August 2018 The Venerable George Lucas OAM Member of the St Michael’s Grammar School Council and its Chairman from 1981–1984 passed away on 2 February 2019 Mrs Josephine Prudden (OM 1958) passed away on 26 February 2019 Mr John Stevens Former St Michael’s staff member passed away on 15 March 2019 Mrs Nancy Tuck (OM 1945) passed away on 23 March 2019
If you are an Old Michaelian or member of the St Michael’s community who would like to share a story or community notice please contact us at community@stmichaels.vic.edu.au.
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Ethan Watson and Scarlett Shannon exploring virtual reality
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Start your St Michael’s journey Join us at our next Open Morning to see the School in action, talk to staff about our philosophy, programs and curriculum, take a tour of the facilities with current students, and meet with teachers and staff in a Q&A session to have your questions answered.
Upcoming Open Mornings Friday 17 May 2019 Friday 2 August 2019 Friday 11 October 2019 Register for an Open Morning at www.stmichaels.vic.edu.au/enrolments/ open-morning-registration
Contact our Student Recruitment Team Phone: +61 3 8530 3310 Email: studentrecruitment@stmichaels.vic.edu.au www.stmichaels.vic.edu.au/enrolments
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St Michael’s Grammar School 25 Chapel Street, St Kilda VIC 3182 Australia Telephone: +61 3 8530 3200 Facsimile: +61 3 9510 9392 community@stmichaels.vic.edu.au stmichaels.vic.edu.au CRICOS Provider 00345G