Open Evening - Wednesday 19 March - early dismissal

Our annual Open Evening takes place on Wednesday 19 March from 4.00 - 7.30pm. This special event offers a fantastic opportunity for prospective families to explore our school and experience the vibrant, welcoming atmosphere of the Stella community.

To allow time to prepare for the evening, students will be dismissed at 1.30pm. Please make travel arrangements for your child on this day. Please note that students who are not helping out at Open Evening are required to change out of uniform if they intend to visit Warringah Mall after dismissal.

We have had a wonderful response from Years 8 - 12 students who have volunteered to serve as tour guides, subject area ambassadors and performers. It's not too late to volunteer! Please refer your daughter to an email sent by Ms Burke on Friday 28 February to sign up. (Our Year 7 students will have the opportunity from next year).

Sincere thanks to parents and carers who have volunteered to assist on the P&F barbecue. Sign up here if you're able to help.

Stella Maris / St Augustine's Community Mass

Date: Sunday 9 March
Time: 5.00pm
Venue: St Kieran's Catholic Church, Manly Vale

During this mass we gather together for song and prayer.

We hear the Word of God proclaimed and reflect on its meaning for us.

We pray for the world, our community and ourselves, sealing our prayers with the sign of peace.

We set our table with bread and wine, give thanks, and praise to God.

We share in a sacred meal that spiritually strengthens, nourishes, and transforms us.

We share a blessing from God and are sent out on mission to the world, to be agents of change.

Everyone is invited to come as they are, knowing that all are included in God’s circle of love.

After School Stella Tutors

Did you know that free tutoring is offered to Stella students from Monday to Thursday after school in the Library?

If your daughter needs assignment or homework help, assistance preparing for exams or just a little guidance grasping concepts covered in class, suggest she signs up to see one of our Stella Tutors.

Our tutors are recent graduates who achieved incredibly well in their HSC.

Please refer to the attached Tutor Schedule for details on how your daughter can access the tutors.

Head Above Water - calling all swimmers!

Parent and Stella Fellas co-ordinator, Nick Poutney, is organising a Stella team to participate in the annual Head Above Water 24-hour swim. Details below:

Parents and daughters are encouraged to participate in the Head Above Water 24-hour swim at the Collaroy Ocean Pool over the weekend of March 22 - 23. The team at Head Above Water raise funds to promote mental health and resilience initiatives that support the Stella community. This is a great event to be part of.

Swimmers of all abilities are welcome, from beginners to casual swimmers, weekend warriors, and experienced pros. The idea is to pick a one hour time slot to swim at a time that suits you.

1. Use this registration link to buy your ticket for the swim - https://headabovewater.grassrootz.com/headabovewaterswimathon25/tickets

You can choose any time and any lane. If you want to swim with friends, coordinate amongst yourselves which time slot you're going to swim in (the lane doesn't matter.) On the first page of the registration form, you'll see all the available times and how many places are still available in each lane.

2. When you get to the question "Are you fundraising in a team?" please select Yes - Join an Existing Team from the dropdown menu and select the Stella Maris team.

3. Use the code TEAM2025 at checkout to pay only $20 (if you forget the code, you'll pay $40!)

Emotional Coaching for Parents

Macquarie University Psychology Clinic is running a six-week program which assists parents or carers to develop skills to help their children understand and manage their emotions through emotionally responsive parenting. See the flyer for further details.

Supporting Men to Connect to their Teens

This two night workshop (12 and 19 March) provides tips and tools to help dads and male carers connect to their teen. Men's counsellor and father of two teens, Adrian Workman, will lead this interactive forum.

Community Notices

12 Angry Jurors - coming to Star of the Sea Theatre

Point Break Theatre Company is super excited to announce their upcoming production of the brilliant American play, "12 Angry Jurors" (men and women) at the Star of the Sea Theatre, Manly, from 27 March to 6 April.

Visual Arts News

Congratulations to Tilda Brownlow and Isabel Kirby, graduating students from 2024 on their Visual Art works being selected for the ‘Out Front’ exhibition at Manly Art Gallery and Museum (MAG&M) which opened on Friday 21 February.

‘Out Front 2025’ is an annual selection of artworks by HSC Visual Arts students from the 20 secondary schools across the Northern Beaches curated and displayed at the Manly Art Gallery. The exhibition “aims to explore the contemporary themes which are of importance to young people today and has been a part of MAG&M’s program since 1995. Presented in partnership with the Theo Batten Trust and MAG&M Society, the program has provided Youth Art Awards to aspiring artists for 30 years. The program demonstrates the gallery's ongoing commitment to connecting with secondary schools across the region and to supporting visual arts education."

The opening night was an opportunity for teachers and artists to preview the exhibition, celebrating the extraordinary talent and creativity of young local emerging artists.

The Theo Batten Bequest Youth Art Award, and the KALOF People’s Choice Award are presented as part of this exhibition.

The art works are always of a very high standard and we are thrilled for our two students as this is a great accomplishment and a recognition of all their hard work.

We also are grateful for the excellent guidance from the Visual Art teachers.

Unfortunately Isabel was unable to exhibit but it was a treat to see Tilda's work looking very impressive in the Gallery.

We look forward to seeing the exhibition which runs from 21 February until 6 April at the Manly Art Gallery & Museum.

Pop along if you can!

English News

Author, Will Kostakis, presents to Year 11 English

Recently, my Year 11 cohort had the fantastic opportunity to meet award-winning author, Will Kostakis. The workshop directly related to our current topic in English – Reading to Write – and we all learned plenty: how to write better characters; how to use description efficiently; and how to be an overall smarter writer.

I would like to thank the English Department for the opportunity of listening to this inspiring guest speaker. I feel confident and keen to follow Will Kostakis’ writing advice which is sure to improve our creative writing skills.

For me personally, I found myself feeling heard through Kostakis’ novels. We grew up very similarly you see, both raised in Greek households in Sydney with a close connection to our grandparents. By hearing insights into his books, I felt as if my own story had been reflected through his novels in various ways. After his presentation I looked at several of his novels and, quite frankly, I was shocked because I had never seen characters that felt so real to me. I am usually one to read classics or high fantasy and generally find that characters seem to follow a stock standard English or American stereotype. In contrast, Will Kostakis’ young adult novels have original and fresh characters which don’t usually involve typically stable backgrounds. There is certainly something within each of his novels that can truly relate to each reader and it’s great to finally see some personal representation within the books I read.

I truly believe that Will Kostakis is an important writer for growing teens, as he writes of a different way of life, whether it be through ethnicity, family relationships, or even identity.

by Zoe A, Year 11

Encore Excursion Report

Last Monday, Year 11 and 12 Music students attended ENCORE at the Sydney Opera House, where they had the incredible opportunity to witness outstanding HSC music performances and compositions. The event showcased some of the highest-achieving HSC Music students from across NSW, delivering spectacular performances of various musical styles.

The concert featured an impressive array of solo performances on instruments such as piano, trumpet, tuba, and guitar, as well as expressive and passionate vocal performances. Each performance left us feeling inspired, reflecting the hard work, dedication, and creativity required to achieve such high standards.

Many students, while feeling a bit overwhelmed by the extraordinary talent displayed, ultimately left feeling motivated and enthusiastic about our own musical journeys at Stella Maris. Experiencing these exceptional performances has provided us with valuable insights into the expectations of the HSC Music 1 and 2 courses, encouraging us to strive for excellence.

by Bronte M

NSW All Schools Triathlon

The NSW All Schools Triathlon was held over two days at the Sydney International Regatta Centre at Penrith. The individual event was held on Wednesday 26 February. Stella had two students compete in the junior race: Charli S and Cate W. The junior individual race consisted of a 300m swim, 10km cycle and 2km run. Charli and Cate both performed very well, finishing in the top 50 of a big field. Well done!

Stella had nine teams competing at the teams event on Thursday 27 February. It was a hot and humid day, but the Stella teams still performed extremely well!

A huge congratulations to two of our junior teams who won the silver and the bronze medal of the NSWCCC category! This is a huge achievement as there are a large number of teams from all over NSW at the triathlon. All of the Stella teams had a fantastic day. They enjoyed participating in this challenging event, and achieved excellent results! Special mention to Lily L who finished 2^nd overall in the junior swim and to Amelia M and Sarah C who recorded the fastest and second fastest run times of the day.

Well done to our medallists:

• NSWCCC Silver medal: Flo W, Piper K, Sarah C
• NSWCCC Bronze medal: Lily L, Cara F, Emily C

NSWCCC Sport Trials

There are a number of NSWCCC sport selection trials coming up in the next couple of months. These include:

• AFL (5 and 6 May)
• Rugby League (1 April)
• Rugby 7s (13 and 14 May)
• Hockey (7 April)
• Water Polo (26 May)
• Diving (tbc)
• Basketball (13 and 14 May)

These selections are appropriate for students who have a high level of representative experience. The trial is for selection for a state level team, so only students who are currently playing at a very high level should consider attending. The trials are set age groups (often open and U16) so not all students will be eligible to trial. If you are unsure if your child should register to trial, please email jenny_wickham@stellamaris.nsw.edu.au and I can provide guidance.

Students who wish to trial for NSWCCC teams will need to get their parents to register on the NSWCCC website. Each sport trial has a registration closing date which is often up to a month prior to the trial. All information and registration details can be found on the NSWCCC site: https://csnsw.sport/

Upcoming Sports

There are a number of sport carnivals and events coming up in the next few weeks.

Good luck to the students who are representing Stella at the :

• CGSSSA Netball Championships: Tuesday 11 March
• IGSA Swimming Championships: Friday 14 March
• CGSSSA Swimming Championships: Tuesday 18 March
• Tildesley Tennis: Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 March

Bill Turner Trophy Soccer Trials

Stella will be participating in the Bill Turner Trophy Competition again this year. Selections will be held in the coming week for a squad to play in this knock out competition. Students aged 15 and under who play at a high level are invited to trial. Information has been emailed to students.

Hockey

Stella has entered the Mollie Dive Hockey Competition again this year. Games are held on Monday or Wednesday afternoons/evenings in term 2. Information has been emailed to students to register interest.

Stella Maris Cross Country

The Stella Cross Country carnival will take place on Tuesday 1 April. The carnival will be held at Queenscliff lagoon and along Manly Beachfront. The distances for the races are:

• 12 and 13 years: 3km
• 14 – 18 years: 4km

Please note that the 18 year age group will run 6km at the interschool carnivals.

Students have been emailed the link to sign up for the carnival.

All students are invited to attend cross country trainings which is held on Wednesday morning at 7.15am (meeting at the Scholastica gate).

Smooth Sailing for Year 7 Sailing Students

This term, 11 eager Year 7 students have embarked on an exciting new adventure - the Stella Sailing Program. Over the course of eight Wednesday afternoon sessions, the girls are developing sailing skills while making lasting friendships on the water.

The program takes place from 4.15 to 6.30pm with students sailing Melges sports boats. Under the guidance of experienced instructors, the girls are learning to read the wind as they take turns at helming, working the main sheet, and trimming the jib.

Our students’ laughter and words of encouragement to each other can be heard across Middle Harbour as they navigate their boats from the Spit Bridge, past Balmoral Beach and towards Manly. They are embracing the opportunity to learn new skills with great enthusiasm and are making the most of every moment on the water! Well done, girls!

Swimming Carnival Results

The Stella swimming carnival was held on Friday 28 February at Manly ‘Andrew Boy Charlton’ Aquatic Centre. It was a wonderful day to spend the last day of summer. The sun was shining and Stella spirit was on show all day!

The swimming performances in the pool were amazing. We had fast and very close championship races. The participation in the non-championship events was outstanding, with all students keen to get in and swim in lots of events. Year 12 had lots of fun enjoying the inflatable relay and were enthusiastic in leading the cheering all day. It was great to see so many amazing ‘animal’ outfits!

Highlights of the day included the closest ever Champion of Champions race, the house relay and the teacher vs Year 12 relay.

Congratulations to all of the students on their outstanding participation. It was so great to see such fantastic house spirit, amazing cheering and excellent swimming all day. A big thank you to the staff who worked hard in the heat. Well done to the Year 12s and the House Captains who led the school so well to make it such a great carnival.

Congratulations to our award winners on the day:

Cheering Award: Shinnick

Best Dressed Award: Georgia M

Champion of Champions: Jess O

Age Champions

12 years: Chloe W

13 years: Alice W

14 years: Charlie C

15 years: Freya C

16 years: Jess O

17+ years: Zara D

Champion House

1^st: EGAN

2^nd: Wood

3^rd: Chisholm

4^th: Smith

5^th: Shinnick

6^th: MacKillop

7^th: Bashir

8^th: Noonuccall

Get your tickets now for the Year 7 Social at Freshwater Brewery: Thursday 20 March

Year 7 parents and carers, please remember to grab your tickets and join us for a unique social event exclusively for them at Freshwater Brewery in Brookvale on Thursday, March 20. Organised by your Year 7 WhatsApp admin and P&F Exec, it promises to be a relaxed and enjoyable evening.

Tickets are $19 and include your first drink and nibbles.

🔗 Grab your tickets here: https://events.humanitix.com/year-7-parent-and-carer-mixer

Stella Fellas Barefoot Bowling – Sunday 30 March, at Manly Bowling Club

Chaps, fellas, dads, and significant male caregivers, you are warmly invited to join the Stella Fellas for an afternoon of barefoot bowls on Sunday 30 March, 2025, at the Manly Bowling Club (59 Raglan Street, Manly, NSW 2095), just a short walk from Manly Beach.

We look forward to the friendly competition and the chance to connect with other dads and male caregivers. This event offers comprehensive instruction and all the necessary equipment to ensure a fantastic bowling experience.

🎳 Tickets are on sale now for $29
🔗 https://events.humanitix.com/stella-fellas-barefoot-bowling

A few spots are still open: Open Evening BBQ – Wednesday 19 March

On Wednesday 19 March 19, the school will hold its Open Evening for prospective students from 4.00pm to 7.30pm. The P&F will operate the BBQ to support the school, and we need volunteers to help set up, cook, and serve approximately 500 sausages within three hours.

We still have a few spots to fill. We need six volunteers to cover one-hour shifts from 3.00pm to 8.00pm if you can spare an hour or two.

(It’s Clare, the P&F president’s birthday, so let’s give her the night off!)

🔗 Sign up by Friday 11 March: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0A4CADA823A5FA7-54503467-stella

Save the Date - Term 1 P&F General Meeting with Special Q&A

Join us for the P&F General Meeting on Thursday 3 April at 7:30pm, where we’ll discuss the exciting opportunities to take on roles within the P&F at the upcoming AGM in May. This is a fantastic chance to contribute to our community and shape the future of our programs. We’re also thrilled to host a special Q&A session with our new principal, Sharyn Quirk. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to meet Principal Quirk and learn about her vision for the school. Be sure to secure your spot now by registering at https://events.humanitix.com/s....

What a great night - Stella Sunset Social

We are immensely grateful to everyone who joined us for the Stella Sunset Social last Thursday. Your energy truly made the evening special and highlighted the strength and warmth of our Stella Maris College community. A heartfelt thank you to all the parents and caregivers—both newcomers and returning—who spent the evening with us and to our dedicated volunteers, whose commitment ensured the event's success. A special shout-out to the P&F Exec, Linda Rowe, Catherine Fitzgerald and Nicole Bruin, who all contributed to the event.

We look forward to seeing you at different events throughout the year.

See Mrs Quirk's newsletter article for photos from the night.

Did you know that the Stella Canteen has introduced new items to our menu in 2025? Items include: nachos, chicken sliders, beef sliders, Greek salad, Caesar salad, lentil and halloumi salad and new bakery items.

We are always looking for new recruits. If you would like to volunteer at the canteen, in any capacity that you can give, we'd love to hear from you. Please email canteen@stellamaris.nsw.edu.au

Thank you, Majella and Cheryl

Week commencing Monday 10 March

Week commencing Monday 17 March

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

It is time to start thinking about the Winter uniform! Year 10 students will require a Senior blazer and Senior skirt (these are different to the Junior uniform). Year 10 students are welcome to come in next week for their fitting – before or after school or lunchtime. From Tuesday 18 March, only lunchtime fittings will be available.

This also applies to new students this year. If parents/carers cannot attend a fitting, the Uniform Shop is able fit your daughter. Exchanges on sizes can be made the following day if required.

Many online orders are to be collected. Orders are ready for collection from Recess after the order has been placed. Reminders are only sent as a last resort.

Athletic shorts are now in stock. The cost is $52. These are not available online.

Sport track tops are due late next week. They will be posted online when available.

Dresses have been packed away to make room for Winter stock. A small number of most sizes can be purchased instore if required

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

Term 1

2025

Term 1

Term 2

Term 3

Term 4