Languages Department

by Jennifer Murray

Year 8 French students had fun making crêpes! Many thanks to Ms Nora Daly, Catering Manager, who set up the Food Technology room, prepared the ingredients and demonstrated how to make crêpes.

Library News

Stella's Unsung Hero Award

Awarded to the many, many Stella students who have generously shared their love of reading with our Stella Community. These unsung heroes suggest new book titles to the library team, helping shape and enrich a collection that reflects the interests and passions of our community.

Thank you for your quiet leadership and lasting impact.

Most Popular this August

It’s Not Summer Without You:2 by Jenny Han

Out Of My Mind by Draper Sharton

A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson

Most Popular Series this August

We Were Liars by Lockhart, E.

Future Problem Solvers

By Cath Douglas, Head of Inclusive Learning

Congratulations to the Year 8 teams who made it into the Future Problem Solvers (FPS) National finals to be held in October. Throughout the year, these students demonstrated exceptional teamwork, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, which led to their achievement of placing in the top 10% of competitors in Australia in the FPS program.

The FPS program requires students to investigate real-world problems while thinking analytically, creatively and futuristically. The FPS National Competition entry focused on the topic: Agriculture. The students impressed with their ability to work under pressure and design strong action plans for future agricultural challenges.

Congratulations to these Year 8 FPS finalists and good luck for the upcoming National Finals: Mabel B, Maya H, Ella C, Lucy M, Ava M, Emma D, Ella G and Femke E.

Change to Canteen Order Cut-off Time

From Monday 8 September, the lunch order cut-off time will change to 8.30am each day. If anyone is looking to help out in the Canteen, even if it is for serving time (recess period 11.00am-11.30am / lunch period 1.15pm-2.15pm), please contact Majella in the Canteen at canteen@stellamaris.nsw.edu.au

Reminder – Stella Maris College Withdrawal Procedure

We kindly remind parents that it is a condition of enrolment that one full term’s written notice is required if a student is to be withdrawn.

• For students departing at the end of Term 4 (2 December 2025), notice must be provided by the end of Term 3 (26 September 2025).

To submit a withdrawal notice, please email the Registrar at registrar@stellamaris.nsw.edu.au, including your daughter’s withdrawal date, intended destination, and the reason for withdrawal. If one term’s notice is not provided, parents will be charged a terms fee in lieu of notice and will be payable prior to your daughter’s departure.

Crochet Club – Crafting for a Cause

Crochet Club is more than just a creative outlet – it’s a way for Stella students to make a real difference in the lives of mothers and newborns in Timor-Leste.

The club meets weekly to crochet blankets and booties, which are donated to families in rural communities. In these areas, poverty, difficult terrain and limited access to healthcare mean that many women give birth in challenging circumstances, often without proper medical support. Infant mortality remains high, with 35.9 deaths per 1,000 live births, and in 2023 the maternal mortality ratio was 192 deaths per 100,000 live births.

Something as simple as a warm blanket can be life-changing. It helps keep a newborn warm and safe in those vital first days and offers mothers comfort and reassurance that their baby is cared for.

Crochet Club began as a Duke of Ed initiative at Stella, partnering with a hospital in Timor-Leste. Since then, students have not only learned a new skill and enjoyed spending time with friends, but also contributed to a project with genuine impact. The group has just completed its first set of blankets, which are now on their way to Timor-Leste, and members are already working on the next batch.

The club is open to all students – no experience needed. It’s also a great way to contribute towards Duke of Ed hours while being part of something meaningful. Crochet Club meets every Tuesday in G104, and new members are warmly welcome.

Together, we can craft with purpose and bring warmth, comfort and hope to families in need.

Ivy D and Carys P

It’s been an enormous month for the Performing Arts here at Stella.

Year 12 Performance Night at Bucketty's

On Tuesday 26 August, Year 12 had their Performance Night at Bucketty’s. The night was a great success with the students from Music 2 and Music 1 classes performing their HSC repertoire, and a selection of group items to a fantastic crowd. The show was a really positive boost so close to the HSC Performance Exams.

Cabaret - Broadway Through the Ages

On September 4 and 5 we opened our first ever Cabaret show, ‘Broadway through the Ages’. The nights started with drinks and dinner on the ‘Polding Centre Rooftop Sunset Bar’ where fantastic live music was provided by ‘CC Tunes’ from Year 10. The show featured two nights of performances across Dance, Drama and Music, brought together with the support of our Entertainment Industry students and stage crew. It was a wonderful success, and we congratulate all the students involved while thanking the staff for their hard work and creative vision in bringing it to life.

Father’s Day Breakfast Performances

This year for the Father’s Day Breakfast, we invited students to perform a song with their Dad, Grandparent or Caregiver.

The morning was a great success with some lovely performances that definitely had a few of the audience members in tears!

OnSTAGE nominations

A huge congratulations to the following students (and to Ms Nicola) for their nominations into ‘OnSTAGE’ - a selection of outstanding major works by HSC Drama students in NSW.

Group Performances

• Ruby A, Lila L and Isabelle P: Just the Four of Us

• Kaitlin B, Eva L, Sienna S and Minty T: The Lavish Lies of Ladies Lives

Individual Performances

• Kaitlin B: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Battle of the Bands @ Barker Spring Fair

Off the back of two nights playing live acoustic entertainment at the Cabaret Sunset Rooftop Bar, ‘CC Tunes’ (Charlotte and Claudia from Year 10) took part in the Barker Spring Fair Battle of the Bands. The competition was fierce with 35 acts from elite private schools across Sydney and Wollongong. The girls held their own and were fantastic taking out third place which included a $250 cash prize and a $450 band mentoring voucher at Big Music.

Japan Music Tour 2026 Information Evening

The Performing Arts department is planning a tour of music students to Japan in 2026. We invite all interested parents and students to an information evening next week, presented by our tour agency partner, Hayllar. Details are as follows:

• Date: Wednesday 24 September
• Venue: The Theatre
• Time: 5.00pm to 6.00pm

For those unable to make it at this time, a recording will be available.

Year 10 Rock Night

Tonight, Thursday 18 September, is our annual Year 10 Rock Night 🤘. A casual evening held in the Music room, the night promises to be a lot of fun and features class items and individual performances and of course, pizza and soft drinks. Don’t forget to wear your favourite rock shirt!

2025 Dance Results

This year has been one of the most successful competition seasons to date. 2025 saw the dance program expand to include five new troupe teams in addition to new competitions to trial. The improvement from the girls’ performances at their first competition compared to their final performance was spectacular! I am so proud of every single student; all the girls have worked very hard and shown much dedication and commitment. I am even more impressed with the sportsmanship they showed to other teams, supporting and cheering them on, as well as to each other.

Highlights of the season include the youngest team, the Year 7 Lyrical Ensemble, receiving 1^st Place at Dancelife Unite, the Jazz Company taking out the Most Entertaining Troupe award at The Hills Dance Spectacular, and the Extension Lyrical Company achieving the Highest Overall Scoring Routine and Regional Champions at Dancelife Unite.

I haven’t told the girls yet, but almost all of our teams are through to the National Finals for Dancelife Unite. This is tremendous achievement, I am absolutely thrilled!

The girls have one final performance – the Semester 2 Dance Night on Friday 14 November. I hope you will come and cheer them on one last time.

Also to be recognised are the outstanding results from the Year 12 HSC Dance Students. Students can receive a maximum of three Callback nominations. CALLBACK is an annual showcase of exemplary performances and compositions by HSC students of dance; similar to Onstage for Drama, or Art Express for Art. This year, four of the Year 12 students received a total nine Callback nominations. This is a phenomenal achievement and a huge accolade for the students. The entire Year 12 HSC Dance class has worked tirelessly for the entire year and deserve this recognition. Congratulations girls!

HSC Dance CALLBACK Nominations:

• Major Study Performance – Kate N
• Major Study Performance – Stella T
• Major Study Performance – Abi T
• Core Performance – Kate N
• Core Performance – Stella T
• Core Performance – Abi T
• Core Performance – Amy B
• Core Composition – Kate N
• Core Composition – Amy B

Dance Competition Results

The Hills Dance Spectacular

• Most Entertaining Troupe Award - Years 7-9 Jazz Company “Toxic”
• 1st Place – Years 7-9 Contemporary Company “Everybody Supports Women”
• 1st Place – Year 9, 200 Hour Elective Dance - “DIVAs”
• 1st Place – Years 7-11 Extension Hip Hop Company “Sticky”
• 1st Place – Years 7-11 Extension Lyrical Company “Power Over Me”
• 2nd Place – Years 7-11 Extension Commercial Jazz Company “JLO”
• 2nd Place – Years 7-9 Jazz Company “Toxic"
• 3rd Place – Years 7-11 Extension Jazz Company “Abracadabra”
• 3rd Place – Years 7-9 Lyrical Company “Better Off Without You"
• Highly Commended – Years 7-9 Hip Hop Ensemble “DNA”
• Highly Commended – Years 8 & 9 Lyrical Ensemble “Scared of My Guitar”
• Highly Commended – Years 9 & 10 Senior Lyrical Company “Something To Someone”

DanceLife Unite

• Overall Highest Scoring Routine & Regional Champions - Yrs 7-11 Ext Lyrical Company “Power Over Me”
• 1st Place – Years 7-11 Ext Lyrical Company “Power Over Me”
• 1st Place – Years 7-11 Ext Hip Hop Company “Sticky”
• 1st Place – Years 7-9 Contemporary Company “Everybody Supports Women”
• 1st Place – Year 7 Lyrical Ensemble “Ocean Eyes”
• 2nd Place – Years 7-11 Ext Commercial Jazz Company “JLO”
• 2nd Place – Years 7-9 Lyrical Company “Better Off Without You”
• 2nd Place – Years 7-9 Contemporary Ensemble “Lose Control”
• 3rd Place – Years 7-11 Ext Jazz Company “Abracadabra”
• 3rd Place – Years 7-9 Jazz Company “Toxic”
• 3rd Place – Years 8/9 Lyrical Ensemble “Scared of My Guitar”
• 3rd Place – Years 8/9 Jazz Ensemble “Miracle Maker”
• 4th Place – Year 9 Elective Dance “DIVAs”
• 4th Place – Year 7 Jazz “Simply Irresistible”
• 4th Place – Years 7-9 Hip Hop Ensemble “DNA"

Dance Spec Challenge (Ensembles & Company Only):

• 1st Place – Years 7-9 Jazz Company “Toxic”
• 1st Place – Years 7-9 Contemporary Company “Everybody Supports Women”
• 2nd Place – Years 7-9 Hip Hop Ensemble “DNA”
• 3rd Place – Years 7-11 Extension Hip Hop Company “Sticky”
• Highly Commended – Years 7-9 Lyrical Company
• Highly Commended – Years 9 & 10 Senior Jazz Company

The Ultimate Dance Challenge

• 1st Place – Years 7-11 Extension Jazz Company “Abracadabra"
• 1st Place – Years 7-11 Extension Lyrical Company “Power Over Me"
• 1st Place – Years 7-11 Extension Hip Hop Company “Sticky”
• 1st Place – Years 7-9 Contemporary Company “Everybody Supports Women"
• 1st Place – Years 7 & 8 Lyrical Company “Better Off Without You"
• 2nd Place – Years 7-9 Jazz Company “Toxic"
• 2nd Place – Year 7 Lyrical Ensemble “Ocean Eyes"
• 2nd Place – Years 7-9 Hip Hop Ensemble “DNA”
• 3rd Place – Years 7-11 Extension Commercial Jazz Company “JLO”
• 3rd Place – Years 9 & 10 Senior Lyrical Company “Something To Someone”
• 3rd Place – Years 7-9 Contemporary Ensemble “Lose Control”
• 3rd Place – Year 9 200hr Elective Dance Class “DIVAs"
• Highly Commended – Years 9 & 10 Senior Jazz Company “MJ"
• Highly Commended – Years 8 & 9 Lyrical Ensemble “Scared of My Guitar"

Extreme Dance Challenge

• 1st Place – Years 7-12 Extension Lyrical Company
• 1st Place – Years 7-9 Contemporary Company
• 1st Place – Years 7 & 8 Lyrical Company
• 2nd Place – Years 7-12 Extension Jazz Company
• 2nd Place – Years 7-12 Extension Commercial Jazz Company
• 2nd Place – Years 7-9 Contemporary Ensemble
• Highly Commended – Years 9 & 10 Senior Jazz Company
• Highly Commended – Years 7-11 Extension Hip Hop Company
• Highly Commended – Years 7-9 Jazz Company
• Highly Commended – Years 7-9 Hip Hop Ensemble

I'd Rather Be Dancing (Extension Company Only)

• 1st Place – Extension Hip Hop Company
• 2nd Place – Extension Commercial Jazz Company
  
• Highly Commended – Extension Jazz Company
  
• Highly Commended – Extension Lyrical Company

NSWCCC Soccer

The Stella Junior Soccer team are NSWCCC State Champions!!

Congratulations to our Junior Soccer team who played in the state final of the NSWCCC Football Championships at Valentine Sports Park on Wednesday 10 September. This is a knockout tournament involving all Catholic high schools in NSW. The Stella team began their campaign at the start of Term 2, where they were the undefeated CGSSSA Champions. They then progressed through to the knockout rounds throughout Term 2, making it into the finals series.

The semi final was a great game against Holy Spirit Belambi. Stella had a strong 4 – 1 win to move into the grand final against Marist Catholic College, Penshurst. It was a tough game, with Marist taking an early 1 – 0 lead. The Stella team fought back to go into the half time break with a 2 – 1 lead. The opposition levelled the score early in the second half. However, the Stella team showed great skill and determination and scored a goal to take a 3 – 2 lead in the final minutes!

Congratulations to our fantastic Junior Soccer team who had an outstanding tournament and are the 2025 NSWCCC Soccer State Champions!

Well done to all members of the team:

Siena A, Zoe A, Gracie B, Aria B, Lily C, Camille C, Lola H, Heidi H, Ann M, Evie M, Jess P, Kayla R, Maisy S, Emily S, Arwen T, Amelie V, Zoe V.

NSWCCC Athletics

The NSWCCC Athletics Championships were held at Sydney Olympic Park on Monday 15 September. Stella had an amazing 18 students representing CGSSSA at this event! The results from all Stella students were absolutely outstanding against athletes from all across NSW.

A huge congratulations to the students who won medals on the day:

• Leanne B: 100m Gold 🥇; 200m Gold 🥇; 400m Bronze 🥉
• Ellie F: 100m Silver 🥈; 200m Silver 🥈
• Philippa Q: 1500m Gold 🥇; 800m Silver 🥈
• Bella R: 800m Gold 🥇; 400m Bronze 🥉
• Sarah C: 1500m Silver 🥈; 800m Silver 🥈
• Taylor P: Javelin Silver 🥈
• Amelia M: 1500m Bronze 🥉

Congratulations to all of the Stella students who represented at the NSWCCC Championships:

Beatrix B, Leanne B, Zoe B, Charlotte C, Ellie F, Cara F, Amelia M, Lara M, Karina O, Louisa O, Taylor P, Pip Q, Kayla R, Bella R, Pilard S, Mille M, Sarah C

NSW Touch State Final

The NSW Touch Football Schools Championships State Final was held at Nolan’s Reserve on Wednesday 17 September. Only the top 15 teams from all schools across NSW play at this event, so it was exciting that both the Year 7/8 team and the Year 9/10 team had qualified for the State final!

The Year 7/8 team played well in the round games, finishing in 5^th place in their pool.

The Year 9/10 team had an outstanding tournament! They had a tough pool, but played well in the round games, winning all but one, with a close loss to Tomaree High School. They progressed through to the quarter finals, winning in a close game against St John’s Dubbo. The team then moved onto the semi-finals, where they faced a strong Hunter Sports High School. It was a very close game, but unfortunately the Stella team lost 2- 1. Congratulations to the Year 9/10 team who finished in third place in NSW! What an outstanding achievement!

• Year 7/8: Beatrix B, Amelia B, Greta S, Cara F, Millie M, Ann M, Emily C, Zoe A, Maisy S, Melba M, Ania M, Charlotte H
• Year 9/10: April U, Kayla A, Kayla R, Harriet W, Zsa Zsa B, Charlotte H, Giselle B, Mia L, Ana T, Matisse F, Ellie F, Siena A, Amail E, Lara M

NSW Netball Schools Cup

Congratulations to our Year 9 and 10 netball team who played at the NSW Netball Schools Cup State Final on Tuesday 16 September at Netball Central. The team qualified for the state event after going through the regional championships undefeated. The Stella team played well all day against some very tough opposition and were unlucky not to progress through to the finals. Well done to all members of the team:

Ana T, Claudia P, Asher S, Eve K, Georgia B, Audrey R, Ava S, Ceyln E, Karina O.

Water Polo

Congratulations to our Year 7s who will finish their season of the NSSWPA water polo competition this Friday evening. Both teams have learnt so much and improved immensely over the season. Good luck to Stella Red who will play in the bronze medal game!

Term 4 Sport

Term 4 sport registrations were sent to all students last week. There is still space in some sports for any students who have not yet submitted their expression of interest. Students should email Mrs Jenny Wickham if they have not yet signed up but are interested in playing a sport in Term 4.

P&F Father’s Day Raffle – Thank you!

The P&F had a wonderful response to the Father’s Day Raffle which raised $4660! Thank you to everyone for their support. The full list of winners can be found here.

Stella Ladies Long Lunch – Friday 19 September

A sell-out Ladies Long Lunch will take place on Friday 19 September. We are looking forward to seeing you all at Teddy Larkins at 1pm!

During term, the Uniform Shop is open Tuesdays to Thursdays from 8.00am to 4.30pm and can be emailed on uniform_books@stellamaris.nsw.edu.au

The Uniform Shop will be closed during the school holidays.

Summer Uniforms

Summer uniforms are now available. Year 9 are required to buy the senior dress for next year. If students are currently wearing the tailored shorts, there is no need to change for Year 10.

New students that started from Term 2 are also required to purchase the dress or shorts. Dresses are $86. Tailored shorts are $53, the short sleeve white blouse is $40.

Purchases should be made by the end of this term. Before and after school, recess and lunchtime are available.

From Term 4, fittings will be restricted to lunchtimes only.

Students in other years requiring a fresh dress can purchase online. Winter uniforms are no longer available online. Short sleeve blouses are now available online.

Please follow this link to the Uniform Shop Online Store https://uniformshoponline.stel...

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.

Year 12 2026 Booklists

Year 12 2026 booklists are now available via the link below.

Please make sure your daughter has confirmed her Year 12 subjects, as digital items are non-returnable.

If using the Campion site to order, the required code is 6RQR.

Second Hand Uniforms

Lunch Orders

Please note that from Monday 8 September, the lunch order cut off time will change to 8.30am on that day. Also, if anyone is looking to help out in the Canteen, even if it is for serving time (recess period 11.00am-11.30am / lunch period 1.15pm-2.15pm), we would love to see you.

Many thanks!

Week commencing Monday 13 October

2025

2026