Principal's Farewell Assembly

A Farewell Assembly for our retiring Principal, Mrs Elizabeth Carnegie will be held on Wednesday 27 November from 9.00am on the deck at the College. All parents and carers are warmly invited to attend. Morning tea will follow in the Nuns' Garden.

To assist with catering, please RSVP by tomorrow via the link below if you are able to attend.

Vinnies Christmas Hamper Drive

A big thank you to students, their families and all PC Teachers for collecting donation items for the 2024 Vinnies Christmas Hamper Drive.

Hamper items are due next Monday 25 November.

It’s not too late to donate to help create a quality hamper for a family in need this Christmas season. Stella Maris aims to deliver a Christmas Hamper made up of nutritious and festive food items from each PC at this time of financial hardship due to the continuing cost of living crisis.

• Vinnies has asked for a wider variety of items this year, food and non-food.
• We are seeking food donations as the priority.
• Socks and/or gift cards are an option if families wish to donate.

Gift cards are also welcome for:

• Big W
• Kmart
• Westfield
• Hoyts / Events Cinemas

Reminders please:

• Tinned items with ring-pulls
• No nut items
• No out-of-date items

Bear Cottage Christmas Wrapping at Warringah Mall

Bear Cottage is seeking volunteers for its Christmas Wrapping Station at Warringah Mall. This very important event raises money for Bear Cottage Children’s Hospice in Manly. Last year, more than 200 volunteers (many from Stella Maris) helped to raise $28,000!

Once registered, you will receive an email letting you know available dates/shifts. You will then be able to select the shift(s) that you are interested in taking.

Please note that shifts book out quickly, so please register as soon as you can after receiving the email. It is possible to volunteer with your friends/fellow students – however they will also need to be registered.

Lifeline Giant Book Fair

Volunteer opportunities are now open for Lifeline's Giant Book Fair from 12 - 15 December at St Augustine's College in Brookvale. Registrations close on 29 November. Click the link below for further details, including how to sign up.

Duke of Edinburgh News - silent auction now live!

Don't forget to get behind the fundraising efforts of our Duke of Edinburgh students travelling to Cambodia as they aim to raise enough money to purchase 60 bikes for the students at Happy Days Primary School and fund the construction of a classroom at Propel Primary School. Browse and purchase items such as gift vouchers, jewellery, and other products via the live site below. If nothing catches your eye, you can also donate directly through the site to support our cause.

Culture Club at Stella

We recently held our very first S.C.C. or Stella Culture Club! This new club, initiated and coordinated by our new International Student Prefect for 2025, Tiffany, is being trialled this term to celebrate diversity and share our unique cultures with one another. In our first session, we enjoyed delicious rice crackers and coconut caramels while learning the art of Chinese paper cutting. We were impressed by the turn out and everyone’s enthusiasm to try something new! We look forward to welcoming students to our next session in Week 6!

Congratulations to the Year 8 students who made it into the Future Problem Solvers (FPS) National finals in Melbourne. This team displayed a high level of teamwork, creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills throughout the year which resulted in them being in the top 10% of competitors in Australia.

The FPS program requires students to investigate real-world problems while thinking analytically, creatively and futuristically. The topic that was explored in the FPS National finals was ‘Autonomous Transport’. The students performed well under the pressure and produced an impressive action plan to solve future problems in Autonomous Transport.

Congratulations to these Year 8 FPS finalists:

• Cailey A
• Chiara D
• Charlotte S
• Ruby A

Fiji Touch Football Tour

The Stella Fiji Touch Football Tour was held from the 8 – 13 November.

Stella had two touch teams comprising students from Years 9 and 10. It was an action-packed five days for the Stella group! The teams enjoyed plenty of touch football as well as time to experience the Fijian culture. They played three games of touch football against local Fijian clubs and schools. The team had time to enjoy some recreational activities such as snorkelling and exploring the markets. However, the highlight of the tour was definitely the time the students spent with the Fijians. The tour group visited several schools and villages over the week. It was an amazing experience for both the Stella group and the Fijians – playing games, singing, dancing and making memories to last a lifetime.

The group took many donations of sporting gear, toys and toiletries with them to leave with the Fijians. A huge thank you to all who donated gear. We had amazing donations to offer the people we met, including gear from the Sea Eagles, Waratahs, Manly Touch, Renegades Touch, Seaforth Football and many other organisations. The gear was very much appreciated from all of the Fijians, and we saw many people wearing the gear all around Suva!

Well done to all of the students who came along on the tour. All members of the group were great ambassadors for Stella and were a wonderful group to have on tour. The Fijians will remember you forever and I am sure that you will remember the tour for years to come.

Broken Bay U13 Touch Championships

The Broken Bay U13 Touch Championships were held at Doyalson on 7 November. The Stella team had a great day, playing some excellent touch football. After winning all of their round games, the Stella team faced a tough St Brigid’s team in the semi final. It was a close game, with the Stella team losing 3 – 2 to finish in third place. Well done to all team members.

CGSSSA Touch Championships

The CGSSSA Touch Championships were held at Macquarie University Sport fields on Wednesday 20 November. This was Stella’s first time competing at these championships, and the Stella teams played exceptionally well. The level of competition was very high so both teams did well to make the finals.

The junior team had a good win against Monte in the semis, and faced a very strong Woolwich team in the final. It was a close game, with the Stella team unlucky to lose 4 – 3, with a try scored against them in the final seconds of the game.

The open team played well all day, but had a narrow loss to Mount Saint Benedict in the semi final.

Congratulations to the juniors on winning the silver medal, and the opens on winning the bronze. Students who were selected into the CGSSSA teams will be notified in the coming weeks.

CGSSSA Tennis

The CGSSSA tennis championships were held at Parramatta Park on Friday 15 November. The Stella teams played well all day, winning lots of games in all divisions. Congratulations to all teams and best of luck to the students representing Stella at the Broken Bay Championships next week.

Athletics Nationals

Good luck to Pip Q and Avie R who will represent NSW at the Australian All Schools Athletics Championships in Brisbane and Adelaide in December. Avie will be travelling to Brisbane to compete in the 100m, 200m and relay. Pip will travel to Brisbane and Adelaide to compete in the 1500m and 3000m. Congratulations on your selection into the NSW team and best of luck!

NSWCCC Cricket

The first ever Stella cricket team played at the NSWCCC Girls Cricket Cup on Thursday 21 November. The Stella team was outstanding, scoring lots of runs and taking lots of wickets! Stella played two games, the first against Monte, followed by another game against St Joseph’s. The standard of cricket was fantastic, and all players were able to have a go at both bowling and fielding. Congratulations to all members of the first ever Stella NSWCCC cricket team.

Showcase of Music - Wednesday 27 November - 6.30pm

As the final show in our ‘Performing Arts: Live at Sunset Series’, the Showcase of Music is being held outside on the deck under the fig trees. Families and friends are encouraged to bring a picnic blanket, camping chairs (or just claim a spot on our beautiful deck!) and some dinner or snacks to enjoy during this ‘festival style’ event. There have been a record number of auditions in preparation and the show is shaping up to be an excellent evening with a mix of ensemble, solo, small group and instrumental music being performed over two stages. Tickets can be found by clicking here.

Drama Night

As we reflect on the enchanting evening of Drama Night 2025, we celebrate the incredible talents and hard work of Stella Maris College’s Drama students. After a late start, the slightly longer than expected two-and-a-quarter hour showcase transported our audience to various worlds, from Gallifrey to Queenscliff Beach, with our wonderful Stage Managers, Sienna H and Zoe A, guiding the way.

During Semester 2, the Senior Drama students crafted their own monologues, showcasing their bravery and dedication. Sienna H and Zoe A from Year 10 opened the night with impressive performances. Following was our returning Year 12 student, Grace O's hilarious HSC piece, Living with the Enemy, having the audience in stitches from start to finish.

The laughter continued with Keira M from Year 10, who performed a humorous take on divorce, while Kyra F moved us to tears with her moving portrayal of the sister from Shameless. Abigail T was up next performing another comedy piece from Baby with the Bathwater, and Kaitlin B from Year 11 concluded the monologues with a captivating piece as Hamm from Samuel Becketts Endgame.

The early morning Drama Ensembles dazzled the audience with performances from The Greatest Showman by Year 7, The Reality of TV by Year 8, and The Wizard of AUS by Year 9 and 10. Each group showcased their creativity and talent, leaving the audience thoroughly entertained!

Drama Night 2025 was a resounding success, and showcased elements of our students' drama learning journeys from Years 7 - Years 12, reflecting the passion that the Stella Maris Drama students have poured into their work. Thank you to all the students, teachers, and behind-the-scenes heroes for creating such a memorable night.

by Abigail T (Year 9)

Dance Night

Last week, our talented dance students performed in the sold-out Semester 2 "Celebration of Dance", which was such a special and spectacular event! With two back-to-back shows, the energy and passion from Years 7–11 dancers filled the room, leaving the audience in awe.

Every performer gave it their best, showcasing the unique talents and skills across every level of dance, as well as the dedication and love they have for their craft and the Dance community.

The program featured an incredible variety of performances, including the Performance Groups, Ensembles, Company, Extension Company, Elective Dance students from Years 9–11, Year 10 compositions, and stunning student choreography. There was also a diverse range of styles, such as Jazz, Hip Hop, Lyrical, Contemporary, and Commercial Jazz.

A special thank you to our wonderful dance teacher Ms Rochelle Jones, for organising and putting this whole night together! And a huge thank you to everyone who came to support and made this such a memorable event. Get ready for next year!

by Kate N (2025 Performing Arts Prefect)

Term 4

2025

Term 1

Term 2

Term 3

Term 4

We wish all our volunteers a very happy and restful holiday. We also ask that if anyone hasn’t already, to please let us know if they intend coming back on our canteen roster next year as it is being prepared now. Happy Christmas!

Thank you, Bernie and Cheryl.

Week commencing Monday 25 November

Week commencing Monday 2 December

The Uniform Shop is now closed for the year. Online orders can be collected in January.

January Opening Hours

The Uniform Shop is open Tuesdays to Thursdays from 8.00am to 4.30pm during term and can be emailed on:

uniform_books@stellamaris.nsw.edu.au

Years 8 - 11 2025 Booklists

The 2025 Stella Maris Years 8-11 booklists are now online for student ordering. Please find below the link which will take parents/students directly into the Campion website for ordering:

If Parents order via the Campion website, the School Code is QWWK.

Please follow this link to the P&F Facebook second hand page:

2025 Key Dates

Just a reminder for those who like to plan: here are next year's events and dates. Please mark your calendars and stay tuned for more details closer to each event:

Term 1

• Stella Sunset Social: Thursday 20 February
• P&F General Meeting: Thursday 6 March
• Stella Open Day BBQ: Wednesday 19 March
• Year 7 Parent & Carer Mixer: Thursday 20 March (7.00–9.00pm)
• Stella Fellas Nomad Trivia Night: Sunday 6 April

Term 2

• Mother’s Day Breakfast Raffle: Friday 9 May
• P&F General & AGM Meeting: Thursday 22 May
• Trivia Night: Friday 13 June

Term 3

• P&F General Meeting: Thursday 14 August
• Luna Park Family Day: Saturday 23 August
• Father’s Day Breakfast Raffle: Friday 5 September (Prize donations needed)
• Stella Ladies Long Lunch: Friday 19 September

Term 4

• Stella Fellas Barefoot Bowling: Sunday, 16 November

A note from the P&F President - looking ahead to 2025

As we approach the end of 2024, I reflect on the amazing community we’ve built together. Serving as P&F President has been an incredibly rewarding experience, and I’m proud of the connections we’ve fostered post-COVID.

However, my tenure as President will conclude in May 2025, and we’re seeking someone passionate about the community and the Stella spirit to step into the role. If you’re interested, I’d love to discuss how you could continue this rewarding journey at pandf@stellamaris.nsw.edu.au or Stella Maris Community Engagement Team community@stellamaris.nsw.edu.au.

Volunteer Opportunities for 2025

We’re looking ahead to 2025 and calling on the Stella community to get involved in shaping our events and initiatives. If you’d like to contribute, here are some key roles we’re looking to fill:

• Marketing & Communications Officer: Manage communication strategies, WhatsApp and newsletter content and ensure clear messaging across platforms.
• Event Manager: Plan and execute P&F events, including logistics, volunteer coordination, and supplier liaison.
• Fundraising Coordinator: Lead fundraising activities, secure prize donations, and manage ticket sales and auctions for major events.
• Graphic Designer: Design engaging visuals for newsletters, social media, and event materials, ensuring consistent branding.

If any of these roles interest you, please let us know. Your involvement will help strengthen our Stella community. To find out more email pandf@stellamaris.nsw.edu.au.