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News &Views Issue 3, 22 February 2018

Contents

Quick Dates Fri 23 Feb Interhouse Swimming Carnival (Centenary

Aquatic Centre)

Tue 27 Feb SEQ Futsal Qualification

Perugia House church visit

Wed 28 Feb 7.30pm Aladdin the Musical (QPAC)

Thu 1 Mar SEQ Futsal Qualification

Franciscan value this term: LOVE

From the Desk of the Principal

Deputy Principal Mission &

Community

Mission & Community

Outreach Opportunities

Date Claimers

Caritas Ks Walk

Assistant Principal—Staff Learning

Assistant Principal—Student

Learning

Francis School

Captains

Commissioning

Social Science

Visual Art

Galentine’s Day

Mt A vs Padua Netball

Careers

Read Like a Sporty Girl

Breakfast

Alumnae Book Launch

La Cucina

Community Notices—p21-23

Franciscan value this term: LOVE

To be loved as to love… from The Prayer of Saint Francis

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from the desk of Kerrie Tuite, Principal

Unite to Ignite - Captains’ Theme for 2018

Dear Parents and Carers, Staff and Students, and Friends of Mount Alvernia College

I have just returned to my desk after the Commissioning Ceremony of the 2018 College Captains.

During the ceremony, the Captains recited the pledge they had written. It is inspirational and

ambitious, but I have no hesitation in believing that they will fulfil their promises.

As the Captains of Mount Alvernia College in 2018,

we hereby pledge to lead with dignity, integrity, joy, and love.

As young women, we acknowledge that leadership

is both a privilege and a responsibility.

Jesus and Saint Francis inspire us to devote ourselves,

our gifts, and our time to you as members of the

college community.

As the 2018 Captains,

we will strive for excellence by embodying courage,

resilience and unity.

The success of those before us will motivate us,

and the support from those around us will empower

us to lead with excellence.

We will UNITE TO IGNITE!

I know that the Captains have the support of the whole community, and I ask you to keep the Captains

and all our Senior Leaders in your prayers as they navigate the seas of Year 12.

Yesterday evening, the College Leadership Team and

other staff met with the Captains and their parents for a

relaxed dinner. The purpose of the gathering was to

allow parents to meet each other and so support each

other and the Captains in what can be a challenging year.

As Franciscans, relationships are at the core of what we

do and who we are and we need to take every

opportunity to have inclusive relationships.

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from the desk of Kerrie Tuite, Principal

Over the last year or so, I have been toying with the idea that we should offer an alternative to our

formal dress. It is clear that, in the wider community, many women and girls opt for wearing long

pants instead of a dress. So, through advice received from the Parents and Friends Support Network,

a committee of staff, students, parents, and students was convened to investigate alternatives to the

formal dress. The style and design has been decided upon and is available for ordering from the

Uniform Shop. I hope that this alternative might prove popular especially during the winter months – if

we get a winter this year that is!!!

The Parents and Friends Support Network met on Tuesday evening. It was a busy night as there were

Home Room meetings and Information Evenings for Year 7 parents happening as well. I value these

meetings as it is essential that, as Principal, I am receptive to concerns of parents, provide relevant and

timely information and develop positive relationships with the community. While the group at the

meeting is not huge and it doesn’t need to be to work, it would be wonderful to have more parents

attending. Past parents and students are also welcome to our meetings. The next meeting is the

Annual General Meeting and, because the daughters of our President and Secretary have graduated, we

are looking for nominations for these and all positions on the committee. Please consider joining us.

Yesterday you would have received an email from the College about a situation at Chermside Shopping

Centre. While, on this occasion, it turned out not to have originated from the police, this may prompt

a discussion with your daughter about her safety and strategies in various situations.

Pax et bonum Kerrie

tuitk@mta.qld.edu.au

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From the Deputy Principal:

Mission and Community

Pause, See, Return

Need some direction for your Lenten resolutions?

Pope Francis is offering it in three words: Pause See Return

Pause to look and contemplate!

Pause from this compulsion to a fast-paced life that scatters, divides, and

ultimately destroys time with family, with friends, with children, with grand-

parents, and time as a gift … time with God.

Pause for a little while: refrain from the need to show off and be seen by all.

Pause for a little while: refrain from snooty looks, from harsh and judgmental comments. Remember

tenderness, compassion, and reverence for others, particularly those who are vulnerable and hurt.

Pause for a little while: refrain from the urge to want to control everything, know everything, destroy

everything. Be grateful for the gift of life and all the good we receive.

Pause for a little while: remember the fruitful and creative power of silence.

See the gestures that keep the flame of faith and hope alive. Look at faces alive with God’s tenderness

and goodness working in our midst.

See the face of our families who continue striving, day by day, with great effort, in order to move for-

ward in life, and who, despite many concerns and much hardship, are committed to making their homes

a school of love.

See the faces of our children and young people filled with yearning for the future and hope, filled with

‘tomorrows’ and opportunities that demand dedication and protection.

See our elderly whose faces are marked by the passage of time, faces that reveal the living memory of

our people. Faces that reflect God’s wisdom at work.

See the faces of our sick people and the many who take care of them.

See and contemplate the face of Crucified Love, who today from the cross continues to bring us hope.

Pause, see and return.

Return to the house of your Father. Return without fear to those outstretched, eager arms of your

Father, who is rich in mercy (cf Eph 2:4), who awaits you.

Return without fear, for this is the time for allowing one’s heart to be touched.

Return without fear, to join in the celebration of those who are forgiven.

Return without fear, to experience the healing and reconciling tenderness of God.

Do not be afraid to Pause, see and return to God.

Go well this fortnight.

Alison Stone See more at: https://aleteia.org/2018/02/14/pope-francis-offers-a-worksheet-for-lent-check-it-out/

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Mission and Community

Community Date Claimers

Thursday 29 March – Easter Liturgy of the Word will be celebrated in the San Damiano

Centre from 2.15pm until 3.00pm. We will reflect on the Easter story as we recall the final days of

Jesus’ human life in ways that call us to be more missionary in the world. All community members are

welcome to join us on Holy Thursday.

Year 11 Reflection Day: ‘Jesus as leader: Me as leader’

Our Year 11 leaders enjoyed a day of connecting, reflecting, and thinking about their transition into Elizabeth

Hayes School. As a group of leaders in the College, this special day gave them much to think about. They

enjoyed all the leadership games, singing, and reflecting that Michael Fitzpatrick facilitated. Challenged to trade in

the couch for a pair of walking shoes and to be a servant to the community, our Year 11 students formulated

ideas they could put into action as they make the journey through Elizabeth Hayes School over this year and the

next.

Outreach Opportunities

Prep Reading Mornings for Francis School students: Any Year 7 or Year 8

student is welcome to sign up for this most enjoyable outreach where you get to read

to the St Anthony Prep students. The ‘preppies’ love having the ‘big’ girls read to them,

so we encourage every student to sign up during the year. Prep Reading mornings occur

every Tuesday from 8.35–10.00am.

Samaritan Mornings for Clare School students: Any Year 9 or Year 10 student is

welcome to sign up for this fabulous outreach where we serve hospitality and warmth to

residents who come to the Parish Hall to play bingo and enjoy an outing. Many isolated

and elderly residents in the local community love having our girls be present to them at

these mornings, so we encourage every student to sign up during the year. Samaritan

mornings occur every Tuesday from 9.15–10.00am.

Delamore Outreach – every fortnight on a Thursday 3.20–4.30pm for afternoon tea and conversation.

We invite students from any year level to get involved in this wonderful Outreach program where students and

teachers join our friends over at Delamore Retirement Community for afternoon tea and hospitality.

The Tuesday Crochet Club – a warm outreach circle for ALL students – any student is welcome to sign

up for this new exciting outreach opportunity where we will crochet scarves and rugs for our friends on the

streets. It started this week in Break 1, Room C105.

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"Is anyone among you suffering? … pray"

(James 5:13)

We pray for anyone in our College, friends and family members who may

have entered eternal life over the past fortnight.

We pray for members of our College community who are ill at this present

moment and ask for the healing strength of the Father to strengthen all in

need, give them rest, and restore them to health.

As a community we offer support and prayers to the entire Mount Alvernia

College family.

There were pink pancakes and strawberries all around the College last Tuesday as we

lunched for a good cause … Caritas Project Compassion. Thank you to the College

Captains for cooking and serving. Thank you to all who munched through plates of pan-

cakes – we made $100 for Caritas Projects.

Ash Wednesday Liturgy of the Word was held in Home Room circles last week. This special ritual

invited us all to ‘nourish ourselves’ with spiritual food for the journey during the 40 days of the Lenten season.

The girls and staff loved the intimacy of this time with Home Room members. Project Compassion was

launched and we committed ourselves to getting off the couch and putting on our walking shoes next month

on the Caritas Ks Walk.

Mission and Community

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Mission and Community

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Caritas Ks Women’s Walk for a

JUST FUTURE

Friday 16 March

3.30pm–5.00pm

A Just Future Starts with

Opportunity.

For young people in poor countries their

dreams of education and lifting them-

selves out of poverty depend on the

opportunities they are given. Education

is a key factor.

Many children walk up to seven kilometres every day to go to school. We will walk in solidarity with these children by

walking seven kilometres from the College, along Kedron Brook and return.

Get $15 worth of sponsorship; walk seven kilometres and you’ll support a young person to finish their

studies.

SPONSORSHIP COSTS:

$15 for one Mt A person to walk, or to sponsor a walker;

$20 for one Mt A and one non-Mt A.

Students, please go to Moodle to have permission slip completed before making payment.

Empower others – ask non-Mt A friends, parents, ex-students, grandparents, Padua mates, HR teachers … even

your dog … to walk with you!! Then it is only $20 for both of you.

Sponsor others – if you can’t walk, sponsor another.

Donate – if you can’t walk, step up and donate.

On-line ticketing and registration is open through our college website = https://

www.mta.qld.edu.au/event/caritas-ks-walk/

This special Project Compassion event was advertised in the College Planner as 2 March but we have pushed the date

out to 16 March.

This is our ONE big Project Compassion fundraising event during Lent.

The expectation is that EVERY PERSON in the College walks or supports another person to

walk. This means everyone commits to giving at least $15 to Project Compassion this term.

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BEFORE YOU SHOP FOR CHOCOLATE EGGS – are they slavery free?

In 2015 Pope Francis said that, “every person ought to have the awareness that

purchasing is always a moral – and not simply an economic – act”.

Join the Easter campaign against child slavery.

Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans (ACRATH) is urging people to eat

only slavery-free chocolate, especially this Easter.

Did you know that much of the chocolate available in Australia is made using cocoa beans

picked by children, many of whom have been enslaved, or forced to work in exploitative

conditions?

The International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) estimates that there are 1.5 million children

working in the cocoa sector in West Africa. To buy slavery-free Easter chocolate look

for any of these certification labels on the wrappers: FAIRTRADE, Rainforest Alliance

and UTZ.

Make a decision to buy only slavery-free chocolate this Easter and discuss your

decision with one other person.

www.acrath.org.au

Our new Outreach group, The Tuesday

Crochet Club, needs your help.

Do you, Nanna, Aunty or Mum have spare 8 ply wool (any

colour, any amount) or some crochet hooks sitting in a cup-

board? OUR CROCHET GIRLS WANT IT!

Please deliver to the small pink wheelie bin outside the

downstairs staffroom ASAP. Our girls have started

crocheting already!

Thanks ... Ms Gastaldin, Mrs Lester, and The Tuesday Crochet

Club Girls

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Professional Learning Teams at Mount Alvernia

This year staff will be working collaboratively in Professional Learning Teams (PLTs) on areas

of need that are reflective of our College Strategic Plan. A PLT is a small team of educators

that meets regularly to complete an action research project that continues to strengthen

student outcomes. Below is an outline of the PLTs for 2018:

Moving towards Senior Schooling in 2020 PLT will focus on preparation for the new system to

ensure our staff are equipped to become leaders in this area. In addition staff will be trained as

assessors, moderators, and confirmers within the new system to ensure Mount Alvernia is best

positioned to meet student needs.

High Potential Learners PLT will develop strategies to ensure teachers are effectively equipped

to provide challenging and appropriate teaching and learning experiences for our high potential

learners.

Design Thinking PLT will enable staff to engage with professional learning through Stanford

University Design School and the QUT Design School to implement multi-disciplinary approaches

to learning.

From Outcomes to Feedback and Beyond PLT analyses the efficacy of using learning intentions

and feedback to enhance student achievement.

Girls’ education PLT focuses on the key differences in the teaching for girls, and will develop the

best strategies to target excellence for young women.

Homework PLT will work towards developing a proposal for best homework practices for the

students at Mount Alvernia.

STEAM Team PLT will work to develop a variety of STEAM initiatives within the curriculum and

co-curriculum at the College.

Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives across the Curriculum PLT

will work towards how staff can engage in the rich diversity of Australia’s histories and cultures,

and will investigate strategies, resources, and practices to inform and shape our curriculum into

the future.

Engaging Francis School Students in Active Leadership PLT will look at ways in which to

maximise opportunities for students in the Francis School to develop their leadership skills in

preparation for their middle and senior school journey.

Girls and Spatial Reasoning PLT will explore the importance of spatial ability and ways in which

spatial intelligence can be addressed across the curriculum.

Staff commence their 2018 journey with their PLT next week during staff meeting times, and across the year will

work to develop teaching strategies, resources, and programs that will in turn enhance the learning experiences

and outcomes of the students under our care. I look forward to sharing the progress of these teams with you as

we work towards measuring the impact of these teams on our practices and, in turn, student outcomes.

Daniel Crump

From the Assistant Principal:

Staff Learning

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How is Educating Girls Different?

I find it interesting each year to note that many of our girls find it difficult to articulate that they are ‘good’ at

something. Bring a bunch of boys together and they will all believe, and let people know, that they are great, and

will attempt to outdo each other in the process. This, unfortunately, is not the norm with girls. It is, however,

something that we continuously focus on as we enable excellence, set high expectations, and provide opportunities

for our girls to step up. It is so important today that we are empowering our young women not only to be the

very best version of themselves, but to be able to articulate their strengths to others.

At the Year 7 (Francis School) meeting on Tuesday night we spoke about this, and discussed the various pro-

grams that we offer here at Mount Alvernia that encourage our girls to do just these things. The Growth Mind-

set and Grit Program is integral to ensuring that our students continue to put effort into their pursuits, despite

any failures along the way; acknowledging that it is with effort and perseverance that we achieve success.

I attach a copy of the presentation for you here.

As well, last week when I was working with some of our Year 12 students, we focused on strategies that would

allow them to achieve to their full potential. We discussed the need to be “bold and brave”, ask questions, seek

help as soon as necessary, collaborate with their peers as much as possible, create study groups, and be very

organised along the way. All of these strategies assist our girls to achieve the success for which they are striving.

As discussed in other newsletters, it is essential to have goals, set the bar high, and aim for that. If we set the bar

low, then we will most likely achieve that, so raise it and strive for that. If as a community - parents, teachers and

students together - we are all on the same page, speaking this language, then our young women will have greater

likelihood of success – whatever that is for them.

The way we operate at Mount Alvernia is guided by the charism of our

College and, for the Learning and Teaching, driven by our Framework.

We continue to work with our staff to develop strong and consistent

processes across the College, through workshops and Professional Learning.

This week we have focused on Learning Intentions and Success Criteria that

frame our lessons and guide student learning, with workshops for staff.

Making these visible is key to the learning process, and for the girls to know

what it is they need to do to be successful is integral to their learning. We will

continue to work with staff over the coming months on this element and others

as we progress throughout the year. Our focus on pedagogy is integral to the

success of all of our students.

From the Assistant Principal:

Student Learning

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Additionally, as a girls’ school, we are always seeking to strengthen the way we work within our classrooms.

For every teacher, the challenge is to find the best way to connect with our girls, and so to continue to grow in

our understanding of how girls learn.

In an article by Anne O’Loughlin, who has done extensive research into girls’ education, she states that, “advances

in studies on the science of the brain have assisted us in more clearly understanding that there are some

significant differences in the way that girls’ and boys’ brains develop and operate. Girls tend to process their

emotions more quickly than boys. The language areas of the brain are the first to develop in girls, while in boys

the visual-spatial areas are the ones that develop first – so, it is not surprising that girls tend to naturally excel in

languages and boys in mathematics and the sciences” (2018).

She goes on to discuss the notion of building confidence and resilience as being crucial in the approach that needs

to be adopted in the education of girls, along with the need for the learning environment to have a strong

relational aspect. We understand, and as such have incorporated into our Learning and Teaching Framework,

that girls thrive on their connectedness and they work well in collaborative environments where they are inspired

by their teachers. These are the strategies that we utilise here at Mt A, as we understand the uniqueness of

educating young women, acknowledging the needs of our students as they transition from one year level to the

next. O’Loughlin (2018) further explains that the social and emotional journey of adolescent girls is at the fore-

front of their reality and their lived experience. I am sure, as parents of young girls, you would fully understand

this, and experience it on a daily basis (as do we). Our role, therefore, is to assist our girls to integrate these

experiences into their lives and their learning as they make their way through secondary school and into their

future.

When I read articles such as this, I am much affirmed as this is the way we work at Mount Alvernia College.

Our aim is to empower our girls and to ensure that they are afforded a variety of experiences through a myriad

of strategies within and beyond the classroom.

O’Loughlin, A, (2018), A look at girl’s education, Catholic Schools Guide, Retrieved from: http://catholicschoolsguide.com.au/

catholic-education-featured-articles/a-look-at-girls-education/

Debra Evans

From the Assistant Principal:

Student Learning

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How is Educating Girls Different?

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Francis School News

Year 7 Growth Mindset Workshop

“If you only do what you can do,

you will never be more than you are now”

(Kung Fu Panda—Master Shifu)

This term, the Year 7s participated in a Growth Mindset Workshop with Luke McKenna, founder of the

Unleashing Personal Potential (UPP) program, and author of Thrive: Unlocking the Truth About Student

Performance.

In a growth mindset, students understand that their most basic abilities can be developed through

dedication and hard work – brains and talent are just the starting point. Neuroplasticity research shows

that intelligence is malleable – we can continue to grow our pathways in the brain through application.

Students talked through the value of having persistence when things are challenging, that “stretching the

brain is okay”. A recent research summary article issued by the Alliance of Girls Schools Australasia,

sited the work of Carol Dweck on ‘false growth mindset’, making it clear that “students with a fixed

mindset – who are focused on ‘learning goals’ ” – will “avoid challenging work as they are worried about

looking smart all the time” (Dweck in Alliance of Girls School Issue 1/2017). In contrast, Luke talked the girls

through understanding the importance of using the right language to describe learning, with words such

as, “I’m not there yet”, for the brain’s neural pathways to grow.

To work further on these principles, students and teachers will continue with the UPP program this

year. In doing so, they will use language which supports this thinking across all learning areas. This is a

very exciting opportunity to see girls realise excellence by their own measure.

Kate Pacey

Teaching and Learning Guardian

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Year 11 Ancient History – Archaeological Dig

On Wednesday 7 February, the Mount Alvernia and Padua Ancient History classes went on an archaeo-

logical dig. We dug for ancient Egyptian artefacts at the Abbey Museum, Caboolture, as a part of a

simulated dig.

Although the day was certainly hot and muggy, every time someone found an object there would be an

overwhelming sense of excitement as we would try to find out what the artefact was.

Of course, before we actually went, we all had to have some back-

ground knowledge of archaeology, including the layout used, and

how to excavate.

As can be seen in some of the photos, the site was divided into grid

boxes; this is called the box grid system. On the actual dig we had

a strict process we had to follow. We partnered up and we were

allocated a square. One person out of each pair was digging and the

other was sifting the dirt collected from the first person, in order to

avoid missing any of the smaller artefacts.

To dig we used small trowels in conjunction with dustpans and

brushes. Once an artefact was found we had to record its posi-

tion in the square and its spit level. A spit level is essentially

how deep it is in the soil from the surface. Once the find had

been recorded, we were able to remove it from the soil.

Overall on the dig we found lots of pottery shards, canopic jars,

statues, shabtis, a lantern, a leather pouch, ‘human’ vertebra, and

a sarcophagus. We had lots of fun on this dig and learnt a lot

about archaeology. If you think this is interesting or

would like to do something like this, choose Ancient

History as an elective in Year 11!

Fiona Hollamby and Chloe McGibbon

Social Science News

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In the Visual Arts, our students have begun the year with involvement in a number of art workshops

to further develop and improve their art skills, creativity, and problem solving abilities.

The Years 8, 9, and 10 Visual Art students experienced life drawing

this week. They learnt to identify the most important elements in a

pose, and recognised and drew the strong lines first, which allowed

the rest of the drawing to progress efficiently and smoothly. They

worked on a variety of approaches, from quick one-minute drawings

to those requiring a longer sustained focus.

The Year 12 Visual Art class participated in a workshop led by local artist

Sophie Munns. Sophie’s work focuses on seed diversity and sustainability and has

seen her working across the world with the seed bank and at botanic gardens.

Students used twigs and ink to experiment with a variety of mark making to

produce sensitive drawings of a range of seeds.

It was impossible not to make mistakes when drawing with the sticks, so instead you had to embrace

them and accept them. It made me much less critical of my work and helped me to focus on the

good parts instead of the ones I didn’t like. Also, drawing with sticks made me think about how many

different things I could use to create art, and I started envisioning how the everyday objects around us

could be used when making art.

Cailtin Dillon

Lorella Masci

Learning Area Advisor: The Arts

Visual Art News

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Mount Alvernia students demonstrated their amazing power

to unite to ignite this week in the inaugural Mount Alvernia vs

Padua captains’ netball match. The atmosphere was explosive

as hundreds of girls, spirit members, and Mt A supporters

from all year levels cheered, stomped, and chanted for our

team. The young men certainly played well, not stepping too

much, but the Mount Alvernia team won.

Next Monday, our captains will test their basketball skills

against Padua at Padua. Good luck, ladies.

Karen Farrow

Year 12 Pastoral Guardian

Galentine’s Day

Mount Alvernia vs Padua Netball

The Year 12 students organised and celebrated

Galantines Day this year on 13 February. It was a

fun, festive atmosphere with pink ribbons, face glitter,

music, face painting, and pink pancakes cooked by the

Outreach team. Monies raised are contributed to

Caritas.

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Another fortnight, another Careers update!

Melissa Loveday

From the Careers Program Leader

Today’s Careers News contains information on the following:

2018/19 Queensland Tertiary Application and Offer Timeline

Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) Education Award

Graduate Careers Australia (GCA)

Visited myfuture Lately?

Resources for Students with Disabilities

Support for Students with Disabilities at Queensland Universities

A Career Path You May Not Know About

Do You have the Tools to Successfully Transition to Work or Study?

Interested in a Creative Career?

Why do I Need a Tax File Number?

VET Student Loans – A New Program

Resources on the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) Website

Camp America

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Updates

Updates from the University of Queensland (UQ)

University Open Days in Queensland in 2018

TAFE at School has provided a list of vacancies suitable for recent

Year 12 graduates.

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Celebrating Women, Reading, and Sport - IWD 2018

This year for International Women’s Day we are inviting students and the women in their lives to join

us for breakfast in order to celebrate women, reading, and sport. Reasons to celebrate women in a

girls’ school do not need explaining, but why are we celebrating reading and sport?

Reading

Educators and parents alike know that reading literature can be transformative. Research

supports this assertion and validates the importance of story reading to brain development and

academic success (Haven, 2007; and Krashen, 2004).

Disturbingly, research conducted in 2016 in Australia found that fiction reading by Australian girls aged

fourteen plus has decreased. Similarly, fewer women are reading non-fiction books than they used to,

slipping from 39.2% to 34.2% between 2010 and 2015 (Roy Morgan Research, 2016).

The Mount Alvernia iCentre is determined to do something that will make a difference to lives of the

girls in our community. A key strategy for making this difference is to focus on reading and literature

promotion. Experts tell us that we can improve reading rates when we offer young people the

opportunity to be involved in reading events, meet authors, and buy books. The Read Like a Girl

movement was developed for this reason, and the Mount Alvernia International Women’s Day Break-

fast is a key event in this program.

What Mums Said about our 2017 IWD breakfast:

“As a mum of four daughters, I relish the opportunity for them to hear the stories and journeys of amazing

women in our world and also our local community. Last year’s IWD breakfast was fun, inspirational, and gave

me a chance to start conversations with my daughters about issues that they may face in the next few years.

Highly recommended.” (2017 Year 8 mum)

“I was impressed and inspired last year when I attended the International Women’s Day event. It was

wonderful to share the delicious breakfast with the girls and I wish every day started like that!” (2017

Year 8 mum)

You can view photographs of last year’s breakfast on the iCentre Website.

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Sport

We often have students tell us that they’re not readers because they’re sporty girls. We are

baffled by this concept - that you might be one or the other. Being sporty does not mean you

can’t enjoy a great book and, in fact, some of the best stories that exist are those of the great

sportsmen and women of the world. There are also numerous accounts of these athletes being

inspired by the books they have read. Our very own leader of sport, Mr Josh White, frequently

visits the iCentre to borrow a book. The purpose of having a sport-themed Read Like a Girl event

is to connect our sporty girls with great books that will inspire them to become readers.

Secondly, some of our avid readers get stuck in their comfort zone and don’t stray beyond their

favourite genres such as fantasy and dystopian. We want to challenge these students to broaden

their horizons and to try something new. As many sports stories belong to the genres of non-

fiction narratives, biography and memoir, this is also a great way to read non-fiction.

How You Can Help

We invite you to support the girls at Mount Alvernia on their journey to success by engaging in

the world of reading and books. You can do this by attending the Read Like a (Sporty) Girl Inter-

national Women’s Day Breakfast - tickets for our International Women’s Day Breakfast are avail-

able on the college website.

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La Cucina Roster

Term 1

Monday 26 February

Tuesday 27 February

Lidia Ranalli, Erica Patterson

Wednesday 28 February

Thursday 1 March

Colette Rosso

Any enquiries: please call Jane or

Jo in the College Office—3357 6000.

Open from 7.15-9.30am &10.30am-

3.00pm (3.15pm Wednesday). Staff,

parents and friends are very welcome

to drop in for coffee—$3.50; $3 in

own cup.

Payment at La Cucina

Please note this is the last week La Cucina will accept coins for

payment. There is a cash machine located near the lifts of Anthony block

that will take notes only. You are able to top up your card online by logging

into your account as well. La Cucina is a cash- free service so, once your

ID cards are operational, we no longer accept cash.

Thank you for your co-operation and understanding.

La Cucina Staff

Easter cooking classes with

Luisa

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16 March: A Meal for Mongolia

We are holding a fund-raising dinner to raise funds to pay for some catering equipment that has been

donated to be freighted to the Lotus Children’s Centre in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

The orphanage houses up to 90 abused and neglected or simply unwanted children in a warm

family environment, and as part of the infrastructure is a commercial bakery and kitchen to feed all the

children and staff who live there.

This catering equipment has been kindly donated by Mrs Margaret Stewart, a well-respected (now

retired) caterer in Brisbane, and will assist the Centre with their cooking and baking.

You can dine on four courses carefully matched with wine with each course, for $70 per person.

Paul Wilderbeek (father of Emily in Year 10), a chef with over 38 years’ experience in fine dining

restaurants, hotels and resorts will be preparing some beautiful cuisine.

Space is strictly limited so please book now.

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