Farewell dinner...

After two days of touring Washington DC the girls are exhausted but their knowledge of The United States and its history and governance has improved dramatically. The group had an early start, leaving New Rochelle at 7am on Wednesday. On their arrival in the capital they met with Dan, their tour guide, and headed straight to The White House for a tour of the visitor centre and a photo opportunity.

 

From there they spent the afternoon visiting various memorials, including the Jefferson Memorial, Washington Monument, Vietnam Memorial, Korean Memorial, World War II Memorial, The Lincoln Memorial and The Martin Luther King Memorial. It was a big day and the girls were pleased to get to the hotel, have dinner at the Italian restaurant nearby and enjoy a good night's sleep.

Most of the girls were up in time to enjoy a beautiful buffet breakfast and then they were off on the bus with Dan to visit the amazing Newseum. After a couple of hours there they drove around the corner to the Smithsonian museums where some went to the American History Museum and others visited the National Air and Space Museum. Their final tour was of The Capitol before they bade farewell to Dan and boarded the bus for the 5 hour trip home.

The group had a fabulous morning at The Academy of Mt St Ursula in the Bronx. The staff and students were extremely welcoming and the girls enjoyed visiting some classes and had fun at morning tea. Emily led the way on the piano and all of the girls joined in for a sing-along. Their connection seemed almost instant and by the time the group left the girls were promising to keep in touch.

 

 

Although the weather was decidedly ordinary on Tuesday - heavy rain and strong winds - the group made their way down to the 9/11 Memorial. It was an incredible experience. The entire sight has been beautifully transformed. It is indeed a fitting tribute to those whose lives were forever changed by the events of 9/11 and our girls were moved by the experience of being there. All in all a day that tested our girls' travel endurance but a day that offered great rewards.

 

The girls arrived at school on Monday morning with many and varied stories recounting their weekend adventures with their host families.  Most girls spent time in New York City visiting key sights and attractions.  Some were lucky enough to see a show on Broadway, or shopping on Fifth Avenue, Soho or the West Village.

The group were fortunate to be able to experience mass at The Ursuline School.  Sr Pat invited the girls to participate via the Prayers of the Faithful and Offertory Procession.  At the conclusion of the mass, Louise introduced the two videos showcasing St Ursula's Toowoomba style.  They were very well received.  Staff and students were interested to learn that we celebrate Ursie's birthday and excited to see that we have an outdoor pool.  Many commented that we appear to have lots of fun.  Our students were interested to learn that chair stacking after a whole school gathering is a universal practice.  Jessamine expressed a vote of thanks and presented gifts from the College to Eileen Davidson (President) and Carol Kellebrew (Principal).

In the afternoon the group braved the below freezing temperatures and headed to the city to experience the iconic New York Christmas Spectacular at Radio City.  It was an experience like no other.  The girls loved it!

Tuesday saw great excitement as the girls experienced their first flakes of snow. A group excitedly ran outside (minus jackets) to experience some snow falling. This caused quite the scene as many of the students and teachers ran to windows to see what the commotion was all about. Teachers had to explain to the other students that the 'Australians' had never seen snow before. Despite many pictures being taken, there is not much evidence of the flakes, and we were informed that the 'snow' was really a flurry! We are sure that many of the girls have their fingers crossed for more snow!

The girls have eagerly participated in many lessons over the last couple of days. Many of the teachers have commented on how much they are enjoying having the girls in their class, and are appreciative of their contributions to class discussion. Girls have enthusiastically participated in English and Religion lessons offering their insights into the subject matter. In English girls have been discussing the text, The Cruicable,and in Religion they have enjoyed comparing our practices with regard to Sacraments.

 

On Thursday we visited the College  of New Rochelle. It was interesting to see the Ursuline philosophy so deeply entrenched in a university. Girls enjoyed a presentation about the College and a tour of the facilities. 

 

Every morning the teachers are met with great enthusiasm from all the girls. They are truly making the most of this experience.

 

The tour has arrived in New York! 

Much to the excitement of the girls, they were transported to New Rochelle in two yellow school buses (or cheese buses as they are affectionately known). Although it was the end of the Thanksgiving break, one of the busiest days of the year, they were soon pulling into The Ursuline School amid the cheers and screams of 20 host sisters and their families. The girls were whisked away to their respective temporary homes for a long-awaited sleep.

 

 

 
 
 
 
As the girls arrived at school eagerly anticipating their day, they were greeted at the entrance to the school by Christmas carols being played and the Principal, in her Santa hat, welcoming one and all.

 

 

 

 

New Rochelle, New York Exchange

Our group of excited girls departed the College this morning.  They are on their way to New York!

New Rochelle, New York Exchange

St Ursula’s College Toowoomba said 'goodbye for now' to 20 students and 2 staff members from one of their ‘sister' schools in the USA – Ursuline School New Rochelle (near New York City) in February, 2014.

 

The New York visitors were placed with host ‘sisters’ and their families, so they could experience true ‘Aussie’ culture and immerse themselves into typical Australian homes.

 

Principal Ann Marie Pawsey said the visitors were kept busy with a trip to Lone Pine Sanctuary in Brisbane, as well as visiting many local attractions such as Queen’s Park and Tosari Galleries.  

 

“This exchange is a fantastic opportunity for students to live and study in another Ursuline school,” she said.

 

“The program fosters an important global awareness in students and an appreciation for other cultures and societies.

 

“Our New Rochelle exchange has been, and continues to be very successful. We are looking to establish similar programs with other Ursuline schools across the globe.”

 

This is the second year of the New Rochelle exchange program which will see St Ursula’s College Toowoomba students head over to the Big Apple in November 2014.

 

 

 

 

 

Visitors from Hachinoe

On Thursday 31^st July 2014 we welcomed a group of 24 students and 3 teachers from Sei Urusura Junior High in Hachinohe. We have over the past three years developed strong links with Sei Urusura which is part of our global Ursuline family. In 2012 and 2013 we enjoyed hosting students from Sei Urusura, with our St Ursula’s College families opening their hearts and homes to our visitors. This year only a day visit was possible but we ensured we made the most of the short time we enjoyed with them.

As well as formally welcoming our visitors at assembly, we enjoyed their time in Japanese classes, conversing in Japanese and playing games. This was a great opportunity for our students to use the Japanese they have been learning in class and to gain a better understanding of their Japanese counterparts. At lunchtime our Japanese room was jam-packed with visitors, Culture Club attendees and other interested students. After a delicious lunch of sandwiches and fruit, our visitors had fun talking in English with our students and playing a group game that tested their knowledge of Japan and Australia. After lunch our Hachinohe visitors joined in with Music, Graphics and Visual Arts – Media classes.

Although the visit was short and hectic, an email from Masako Tominaga, the tour leader and teacher at Sei Urusura, confirmed that our visiting students had a great day. They could feel the Serviam spirit in our school and thoroughly enjoyed spending time with our students.

Visitors from Dallas

In October 2014 Cecilia Nipp and Susan Bauer from the Ursuline Academy of Dallas visited St Ursula's with a view to setting up an exchange between the two schools. 

 

Cecilia and Susan also explored the sights of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane during their stay.  They visited classes at St Ursula's College and learnt about the curriculum, observed classes in Chemistry, Music, Japanese, Hospitality and Art.

The Ursuline Academy of Dallas, Texas, USA is now an official sister-school of St Ursula's College Toowoomba. 

Thailand Leadership Camp 2014

In the second week of the June school holidays, 10 students from years 10 and 11 and 2 staff members from St Ursula's College headed off to Thailand to join 50 other students for a 4 day intense camp experience.  The 60 students were from Sydney, Toowoomba, 4 schools in Indonesia and 2 schools in Thailand.  The common factor for all the schools is that they are Ursuline Schools which follow the vision of St Angela Merici and work under the motto Serviam - I will Serve.

 

The camp was the 2nd leadership camp run by Mater Dei, an Ursuline School in Thailand where the girls were involved in service activities including making check dams, replanting a mangrove forest and working in an orphanage.  On the third day of the camp, all 85 students and staff were involved in the painting of the orphanage fence.  As well as these activities, the girls spent time on reflection, sharing and teasing out what leadership and service really are about.

 

After the camp, all the students who were visiting spent 3 days in Bangkok with the homestay families as the guests of Mater Dei, the Ursuline School.

 

The girls spent long days, made new friendships across cultures, were challenged emotionally as well as physically, came to understand what leadership and service are about and promised to return home to share their experience and to set a small spark of service going either within the College or in the wider community.

 

The camp was a wonderful enriching experience for both staff and students and we were certainly looked after well by the Mater Dei community.

New Caledonia 2014

New Caledonia 2014

On Thursday 26^th June, 22 excited year 10 and 11 French students (along with Madame Brown and Monsieur Rawson) headed off for an unforgettable week in New Caledonia.

After arriving in the wee hours of Friday morning, we were all up early to head off to our language lessons at CREIPAC.  Students attended four of these lessons during our stay and they were invaluable in consolidating the vocabulary and grammar experienced in the French classroom at St Ursula’s.  Lessons at CREIPAC are taught by native French speakers and the girls were able to experience what it is like to actually have to speak in French with their teachers often telling them, “Je ne parle pas l’anglais.”  CREIPAC is situated on a beautiful bay and the lessons take place near the old convict settlement; this was truly an idyllic spot.  What could be better than being immersed in French ambience while enjoying a tropical climate?

With morning lessons completed, we returned to the hotel and went on a Tchou-tchou train ride of the city where we took in some absolutely spectacular views and learned some of the history of the island from our very informative guide.

Nerves started to set in as the girls prepared themselves to meet their host families for the first time.  As the week wore on, the girls were able to develop a real rapport with their hosts and spoke fondly of how they helped them with their French and took them to interesting places around Nouméa.  Some of the families really went above and beyond in welcoming our students and assuring that they got the most out of their experience.

Perhaps the highlight of our tour in terms of tourist activities was our visit to Amédée Island on Sunday where students were able to relax on the beach, swim with the tropical fish, climb the lighthouse and enjoy a magnificent Melanesian feast.

On other afternoons, after our CREIPAC lessons, we went into town to purchase lunch and explore some of the sites of Nouméa’s town centre.  It was when purchasing lunch that the girls were able to put their French into real-life action and the all enjoyed their croque-monsieur, diabolo menthe, baguettes and Orangina.  After lunch we visited a bookstore, St Joseph’s Catheral, souvenir stores a chocolaterie and patisserie.  We all agreed that the chocolates and pastries were superb!

On Thursday July 3^rd, we sadly had to say goodbye to Nouméa; however, as our plane flight was not until the afternoon, the girls were able to split into two groups for some more activities.  One group went for a final trek into town for some last minute souvenir and supermarket shopping while another visited the beautiful Baie des Citrons.  This second group enjoyed their time at the bay so much that we will make this a regular item on our itinerary in the future.

Madame Brown and Monsieur Rawson were impressed by the girls and their willingness to immerse themselves in French language and New Caledonian culture; they certainly gained much from the experience and for some, the travel bug has bitten!