Student Council for 2023/24

Congratulations to the following students who have been announced as our new School Council for 2023/24.

• School Captain: Lucy Harrison
• School Vice Captain: Tahlia Moses
• Boarding Captain: Louise Gunn
• Boarding Vice Captain: Nellie Nagle

Extra-Curricular Captains

• Academic Activities: Phoebe Zammit
• Communication/SRC: Alexis De Zotti
• Creative Arts: Zoe Chan
• Ecology: Olivia Klostermann
• Liturgy: Niamh Kelleher
• Music: Imogen Pinwiset
• Performing Arts: Olivia Heath
• Social Justice: Hannah Frith
• Sport: Charli Davis

House Captains

• Aston: Kendal Henderson
• Barry: Lana Harmey
• Kendall: Lauren Lawer
• Kuring-gai: Zoe Henville
• Maye: Sairsha Davies
• Mornane: Chelsea Earle
• Mulhall: Mikayla Paul
• Ward: Grace Pembroke

Impact Statement

We would like to acknowledge our incredible community for your generosity and thoughtful support of our philanthropy and fundraising campaigns over the past year. We cannot say thank you enough for your incredible kindness and commitment to our mission and for supporting every event with a cheerful heart and good humour.

The impact of donations on our Loreto Normanhurst community is immeasurable, and we encourage you to read our full Impact Statement for a comprehensive overview of how your contributions continue to make a lasting difference in the lives of current and future students. Click here to see the full Impact Statement in detail.

Referendum Information Session

Sunday, 13 August

3:00pm-5:00pm

Hornsby RSL Club

You're invited to a community forum where you can hear from a panel of experts about the upcoming referendum.

Ask your questions and learn more about the vote you will be casting later this year.

Click here for more information.

Email berowraforyes@gmail.com to RSVP.

Pastoral News

Ms Marysa Boland and Mr Justin Madigan | Deans of Pastoral Care

Wishing all our students and families well for the next few weeks.

'It takes a Village' Maree Crabbe presentation

Thank you to parents for participating in the ‘It takes a Village’ online presentation on Wednesday evening with Maree Crabbe. Maree is Australia’s leading educator about the effects of pornography on young people and gender-based violence prevention. If you were unable to join us for Maree’s presentation, you are encouraged to look at the following for information and resources, “It’s Time We Talked”.

Year 10 ACT

Year 10 have been in Canberra since Wednesday, and we are sure their time away has been informative and insightful. The time spent in Canberra is an extension on the learning from the Homelands Immersion in Term 2. Be sure to ask your daughter about their key learnings and takeaway messages from the experience.

SRC Christmas (in July) Cup

On the first Friday back this term, the SRC hosted their annual SRC Christmas In July Cup, where students in each of the Houses participated in a range of fun-filled activities in the gym. We congratulate Kuring-gai House for taking out the honours this year!

Pastoral Upcoming

Music Festival 2024 – preparing for the theme

During the next few weeks, Imogen Pinwiset, our newly elected Music Captain for 2023/2024 will begin the process of discerning for the 2024 Music Festival theme. Music Festival is a much-anticipated highlight for the entire school community, so we are eagerly anticipating the new theme.

New House Councils

Now that our new Student Council is decided, we will begin to turn our attention to the formation of the House Councils for 2023/2024. Year 11 students will have an opportunity to nominate and discern one of the nine extra-curricular leadership positions to support their Captains. Voting for the roles will take place mid-term.

School TV

School TV is an online resource designed to empower you as parents with credible and sound information with realistic, practical ongoing support strategies.

Click the link here to find out more.

Social Justice News

Mrs Jacinta Wells, Acting Head of Religious Education and Justice

Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Food Drive

Following Refugee Week in Term 2, Loreto Normanhurst will be supporting the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) by engaging in a winter food drive from Monday, 14 August until Thursday, 31 August. The JRS Foodbank deliver food and supplies to over 150 families each week and the demands continue to grow each month as many refugee and asylum seeker remain excluded from essential federal government support.

Your daughter is encouraged to bring in donations of the following items:

The items can be dropped off at any of the following locations at Loreto Normanhurst – The Primary School Reception, Mr Madigan and Ms Boland’s Office, and the Library. Please feel free to contact Mrs Jacinta Wells, Acting Head of Religious Education and Justice, at jwells@loretonh.nsw.edu.au if you would like further information on how you can support the JRS.

Snug as a Bug in a Rug Day

Friday, 18 August

On Friday, 18 August we will mark Loreto Normanhurst’s annual Snug as a Bug in a Rug Day. This community event provides an opportunity for Loreto Normanhurst to reduce its carbon footprint by minimising our energy consumption by switching off heating. This day reminds our community that we are committed to an ecological mindset and one that aims to make conscious choices that reduce our impact on our common home, one step and one action at a time.

Students can wear mufti on this day and are encouraged to don beanies, scarves, oodies and ugg boots to stay cosy and warm. They are also encouraged to read page 21 in the diary for guidelines around what to wear on mufti days. However, students are also reminded to not wear slippers, inappropriate shoes or onesies. A gold coin donation will be collected during Year Time on that day and all proceeds will go to the Loreto Normanhurst Bursary.

Community Service Opportunities

Woy Woy Vinnies Van

Woy Woy Vinnies Van is a Special Work of the St Vincent de Paul Society and a part of the Sydney Vinnies Van Services. The service consists of a van, operating three nights per week (Tue Wed Thu) excluding New Year’s Eve, providing a meal, blankets, toiletries, snacks, hot beverages and most importantly, companionship to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness within the inner city of Woy Woy.

This Community Service is available to all students, however, they must be accompanied by a parent/guardian while completing the act of service. You can do this by joining a team of volunteers. Paperwork and training, serving and committing to the teams’ monthly roster is required.

Click here for more information.

Please contact woywoyvv@vinnies.org.au to register your interest.

Legacy Week

This year Legacy is celebrating 100 years of service to the families of our veterans.

Join their annual fundraising event, Legacy Week, as a volunteer and you can be a part of history!

Volunteering for Legacy Week 2023 is open, and you can sign up now.

Join thousands of Aussies taking the streets from 27 August – 2 September to raise funds for our veterans’ families.

Register your interest today and get out in your local community to sell the iconic badges for Legacy Week 2023. Places will fill up fast, so get in quick.

Click here for more information.

Register here.

Learning News

Bouncing Back

We've all been there – eagerly awaiting the results of an assignment we thought we had aced, only to be disheartened by a disappointing mark. It's completely normal to feel down at first but remember, setbacks are opportunities for growth and improvement.

Click here to review some steps you can take to handle a disappointing assignment mark and turn it into a learning experience.

The da Vinci Decathlon

Mrs Robyn Roffey | Diverse Learning (Gifted and Talented 5-12)

During Week 2 of this term, Loreto students from Years 7-10 competed at the Da Vinci Decathlon at Knox Grammar School. The Da Vinci Decathlon began in 2002. It is designed to celebrate the academic gifts of Australian youth by providing a stimulating and challenging competition run in the spirit of an Olympic Decathlon. Students from all over NSW compete in this competition. Year 7 and 8 attended on Tuesday 25th July and Years 9 and 10 attended on Wednesday 26th July.

Students compete in teams of eight (in their age group) and spend the day together working together on academic challenges across 10 disciplines: Engineering, Mathematics, Code breaking, Art and Poetry, Science, English, Ideation, Creative Producers, Cartography and Legacy. The theme for 2023 was UNITY. Each of the papers are extremely challenging and require creative and critical thinking, perseverance and collaboration. Thank you to all of the girls, including the reserves who have trained at various lunchtimes for the Da Vinci Decathlon. The girls are to be congratulated for their mental stamina and collaboration. Congratulations to the Year 10 team who placed second in Art and Poetry. See below for comments from some of the girls:

"I really enjoyed the theme of unity. I think it displayed that the world still isn’t working together and how important and beneficial it is that we do. Ideation was the most challenging, but it was also very beneficial to see how problems could be solved if we come together unified. Our Year 7 team worked well together and we had fun. DaVinci this year was an awesome experience!" - Kate Shepherd Year 7

"My team was ecstatic and courageous. We had lots of fun during the day!" - Larina He Year 7

"I enjoyed doing creative producers and having fun decorating the tablecloth. Code breaking was challenging, but it was also a lot of fun. It was an amazing experience, and I would definitely do it again!" - Samyukta Shriram Year 7

"Throughout the day, the subject that I enjoyed the most was Art and Poetry - we were very happy we placed 2nd in this section. Code Breaking and Maths were the most challenging. Teamwork was important, we collectively agreed on what we were strongest at, then worked in pairs or in threes and sometimes all together. It was a very enjoyable day and I am very grateful that I could make some new acquaintances." - Angela Sheng Year 10

Thank you to Mr Joe Casamento, Ms Angela Sparks and Ms Leanne Sylvester who assisted with training and/or accompanying the girls to Knox.

DA VINCI TEAMS

Careers Updates

Ms Katrina Smith and Ms Alexi Kayes | Careers Advisor

To view the latest Careers events, seminars, subscriptions and university updates, please explore the yellow Careers News tab on Canvas. Click here to access the Careers Canvas page. Alternatively, go directly to this week's Careers Canvas Newsletter here.

Students in all year groups can book an appointment with Careers at any time by emailing careers@loretonh.nsw.edu.au. Please put your availability into your email.

Oratory News

Ms Bernadette O'Dwyer | Oratory Coordinator

CSDA Quarter Finals

Congratulations to our Year 12 team, Molly Hanly, Lara Eastman, Charlotte Rigney, Indianna Cane and Ava Harmey for their efforts at the Quarter Finals for CSDA. Unfortunately, the team lost narrowly to Mercy Catholic College on the night. The topic was “success is more important than happiness”.

This ends our season for CSDA. I take this time to thank the coaches and students who have embraced a wonderful season. We hope to see you back next year.

Archdale Debating

Well done to all teams for their efforts in the last two rounds. It’s great to see different teams each week getting the wins!

Mock Trial

Congratulations to our Mock Trial team who participated in the Elimination Round 1 against MLC. We were assigned the Prosecution in this trial, with both teams having a tough case to present. Unfortunately, we lost by just two points!

This ends our season for Mock Trial. I would like to thank Ms Clara Marsh, Ms Peta Holmes, Ms Nausicaa Turli and Ms Marie Bujnowski for working with the Mock Trial team this year.

Also thank you to Ms Jennifer Single SC. Ms Single has been an incredible mentor to our team and she has spent many hours guiding our students in developing legal minds throughout the season.

Thank you also to the team - we look forward to the 2024 season.

Legacy Junior Public Speaking Award

Congratulations to Adrina Jamshidi who represented Loreto Normanhurst at the Legacy Junior Public Speaking Award at Normanhurst Boys.

Ethics Olympiad International - Seniors

Congratulations to the Ethics Olympiad team, Tahlia Moses, Phoebe Zammit, Grace Parker and Isabella Lynch who participated in the International Finals. Forty four schools participated across Australia, India, Singapore, Hong Kong and Canada. The team was awarded a Judge’s Honourable Mention! Well done, team!

Thank you to Ms Jessica Koppman, Mrs Alison Fell, and Miss Anna Karaganova for their tireless work with the team.

Oratory Upcoming

Archdale Debating

Tuesday, 8 August

Good luck to our teams who are participating in a round of virtual debates against Kambala.

Mock Mediation

Wednesday, 16 August TBC

Good luck to our Mock Mediation team who will participate in the Quarter Finals.

My First Speech

For students in Years 10-12, entries are now being taken for My First Speech, organised by Parliament of Australia. The speech should be no longer then 90 seconds in length and focus on an issue that you are passionate about and that is important to the people in your electorate.

Any student who is interested should email oratory@loretonh.nsw.edu.au.

Submissions are due by Friday, 11 August.

Festival of Speech Registration

Festival of Speech is a competition organised by IGSA that celebrates all things oratory. This year’s event will be held at Ravenswood School for Girls on Saturday, 21 October.

More information regarding each section requirement can be found here.

Students wishing to nominate should use this form. Nominations will close on Wednesday, 16 August. Information regarding trials will be sent by close of business on Friday, 18 August.

UN Youth NSW Junior Leadership Summit 2023

Registration is now open to students from Years 7-8 for the Youth UN Junior Leadership Summit 2023.

This year the camp is not residential and will take place at the University of Technology Sydney. Students will engage in workshops that focus on developing communication, advocacy, and leadership abilities.

Students who are interested should register directly with Youth UN and also notify oratory@loretonh.nsw.edu.au.

Sport News

Mr David Brock | Head of Sport

The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award

Congratulations to the following students who have completed The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award:

• Ines Walford (Year 10) - completed the Bronze Award.

2024 Sport Captain

Congratulations to Charli Davis (Year 11) on being elected the 2024 Sport Captain. We look forward to working with Charli over the coming terms.

IGSA Open Rep Netball

Well done to Alice Mackenzie (Year 11), Mikayla Paul (Year 11), Charli Davis (Year 11) and Anna Newsome (Year 11) who trialled for the IGSA Open Rep Netball team. Congratulations to Charli (Year 11) who has been selected into the team. Charli will represent IGSA at the NSWCIS Open Netball Challenge later this month.

Dance

The Loreto Dance Troupe competed in 'The Ultimate Dance Challenge' recently and achieved some great results as follows:

• Jazz Division: Highly Commended
• Contemporary Division: 2nd Place

Well done to the Dance Troupe on your great performances.

All Schools Cross Country

Well done to Neve Tierney (Year 11) who recently completed at the All Schools Cross Country, placing 49th. A fantastic achievement Neve!

Snowsports

Congratulations to the following students who have progressed to the State Snowsports Championships in August.

• Ashlee-Rose Saba (Year 5)
• Annabelle de Vos (Year 7)
• Hannah de Vos (Year 11)

Sport Aerobics

Both Primary and Secondary Sport Aerobics teams competed at the School Aerobics State Qualifiers in the school holidays. Two teams were awarded medals (1st and 3rd) and all three teams qualified for the Nationals Championships which will take place in Adelaide in August. Well done to all our Sport Aerobics teams on this fantastic result!

Parent Association Updates

Introducing FOLD

Fathers of Loreto Daughters (FOLD) is a subcommittee of the Parents Association of Loreto (PAL) that has been established to celebrate the bond between fathers and their daughters whilst fostering a fellowship among fathers in the community.

We encourage all fathers to participate in and contribute to our community by offering their time, skills, and networks to support the priorities of the school and parent community.

Look out for upcoming events!

To find out more about the FOLD committee, follow us on LinkedIn.

Advancement Team Updates

Father Daughter Eucharist & Lunch

Sunday, 27 August

9:15am

Chapel & Miramare Gardens

Loreto Normanhurst warmly invites all daughters, their fathers and father figures in their lives to join us for two special events, the Father Daughter Eucharist and Father Daughter Lunch on Sunday, 27 August.

The day will begin with the Eucharist in the Chapel at 9:15am followed by Lunch at Miramare Gardens, Terrey Hills.

Click here for the invitation.

Click here to purchase tickets.

Ticket sales close on Wednesday, 16 August

Year 12 Graduation Eucharist & Dinner - Reminder!

Friday, 15 September

4:45pm Eucharist in the Chapel

7:00pm Dinner in the Gymnasium

To all Year 12 students & parents, just a friendly reminder to ensure you book your tickets for the Eucharist and Dinner to ensure you don’t miss out.

Click here for the invitation.

Click here to purchase tickets.

Alumnae Reunion Lunch

Saturday, 23 September

10:00am-3:00pm

Loreto Normanhurst in partnership with the Ex-Students’ Association warmly invites all current parents who are alumnae to the Reunion Lunch for a day of nostalgia, laughter, and celebration!

The day will commence with a Mass service in the morning, followed by guided school tours, and continuing with a beautiful lunch in the grounds.

We would be delighted if you could join us for a wonderful day at Loreto Normanhurst where we offer you the opportunity to reconnect with your fellow alumnae for this wonderful celebration.

Click here for the invitation.

Click here to purchase your tickets.