Term 1, Week 4, 24 February

Principal's Update

Ash Wednesday

During the past week we celebrated Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Lent is the period of 40 days leading up to the death of Jesus Christ on Good Friday. 

The day is called ‘Ash Wednesday’ because ashes are placed on the forehead of the people attending Mass and Prayer services on that day as a reminder that we came from God and will return to him. Anyone (Catholic or non-Catholic) can receive the ashes on their forehead. Ever wondered where the ashes used on Ash Wednesday come from? Fr Paul Gooley, our Parish Priest, explains in this short 1 ½ minute video.

Throughout Lent we are asked to focus on three things: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. At MacKillop College throughout Lent we endeavour to give to Caritas Australia, an organsiation that for more than 55 years has been working with vulnerable communities around the world to forge a path out of poverty. 

Parent Partnerships

Our school is now subscribed to the Happy Families School Membership! The membership offers a wealth of parenting education and resources.

We will regularly share resources available through our membership with you, including Insight Articles and Live Webinars. You can also access your resources at any time using the below URL (unique to our school) and password.

We recommend bookmarking this link. You should only need to put the password in once and the site will remember you. 

This week’s article School Belonging Starts at Home aligns excellently with our College School Improvement Goal of Improved Wellbeing for students, families and staff by all feeling known, respected, connected and valued. I encourage parents to read the article. 

Staff Professional Learning Day - Monday 6 March (student free) 

A reminder as per the College calendar Monday, 6 March is a student free day as staff have a full day of professional learning. The learning is aligned to our Annual School Improvement Plan and endeavours to continue to maintain the expertise of our staff. 

Upstanders V Bystanders: A conversation with your young person

Last week we had an unfortunate incident at school where two young men had a heated verbal disagreement during the lunch break which resulted in one of the boys following the other through the playground looking for a fight, sadly encouraged by some other students. No fight occurred and this is not at all the normal behaviour at MacKillop College, nor will any type of violence be tolerated. The two boys themselves never wanted to fight and in fact both were quite scared but were unsure how to remove themselves from the situation. Fortunately, staff were able to intervene and removed the two boys involved to the front office and discussed their disagreement.

My disappointment came when I had to be called out to the playground because a substantially large number of students, unknown to the boys and across Years 7-10, followed the crowd and escalated the situation to the extent it appeared a pack mentality of inciting a potential physical altercation. Some students had even taken out their mobile phones. 

Whilst teachers have spoken to students re the importance of being an UPSTANDER and either a) intervening themselves and walking a student away form the situation and up to the office or b) finding the nearest staff member to assist, I am asking that all parents have conversations with their sons and daughters about their role and behaviour in these situations. Many young people find it difficult to not ‘follow the leader’ and get caught up in poor decisions and disrespectful or unsafe behaviours because they don’t have the skills to remove themselves from the environment, or to stand up to those doing the wrong thing. As parents and teachers we must continue to have the conversations about our expectations and the behaviours that reflect our values of respect, kindness and acceptance of all. 

Health Reminders

The College currently has some students fighting life-threatening and immuno-compromised illnesses. Parents are reminded that students should not attend school if unwell, or should be wearing a mask, as well as ensuring they are practising good hygiene whilst at school. 

Creative Arts Nest - A wonderful opportunity for all

What can you do with one piece of paper? A4Art Prize is back for 2023, bigger and better than ever! With over $5,000 in cash, vouchers and prizes all St Agnes' Education students and staff are invited to enter the A4ART Prize.

Entries opened this week. Find out more at www.artsnest.com.au

Canteen Volunteers Needed

Can you spare a couple of hours a week, or perhaps know a grandparent who might be able to? Our school canteen needs some more helpers, just over the busy lunch period. If you can help please contact Maxine at the College 6583 2632 or via email maxine.stone@lism.catholic.edu.au 

Testimony from a current volunteer: "As a Canteen Volunteer for the last 9 years, I would like to encourage more parents and grandparents to sign up. The work is not onerous and it is a great way to connect with our teenage students. They are all very polite and well mannered and it is a privilege to help in this way.  I congratulate Maxine on the marvellous work she is able to do. Thank you.”

Ocean Drive Duplication

Work on the duplication of Ocean Drive is well underway. Once complete, the upgraded road will provide improved cycle and pedestrian paths between Greenmeadows Drive and the Lighthouse shopping precinct at Matthew Flinders Drive.

During construction there will be heavy machinery at work. We have installed fences and barriers to separate our work areas from the existing road and ensure the safety of the community.

We have recently noticed some students accessing the site which poses a significant safety risk. Please speak with your children to ensure they understand the importance of staying OUTSIDE of the project area.
Thanks for your patience and understanding during this work. For more information, contact us on
0427 430 577.
Community Engagement Team
Ditchfield Contracting

Cath Eichmann
Principal

Data Collection Notice

The Australian Government Department of Education will be collecting data from the College in March. Please read the attached 2023 Student Residential Address and Other Information Collection Notice.

Subject and Excursion Fee Accounts

All parents should have received their Term 1 subject fee statement via email last Tuesday, 14 February. If you did not receive yours, please ring the College on 6583 2632 (Option 4) or email pmac-finance@lism.catholic.edu.au.

Parents are asked to make regular weekly or fortnightly payments towards their child’s subject and activity fees to ensure accounts are paid in full prior to the end of each term. These payments can be made by setting up a Bpay transfer using the details on your statement. Billing takes place each term, and items billed will depend on upcoming events.

If at any time you have any concerns regarding items billed to your account or you would like to discuss payment options, please contact me at the College.

Jenny Hunt
Accounts Officer

Assistant Principal - Learning and Teaching

Years 7, 11 and 12 Learning Conversations

On Monday, 13 March (Week 7) we will be holding a Learning Conversations evening in the College Hall on the junior site from 4:00pm-7:30pm for families with children in Years 7, 11 and 12. Whilst we do combine the Year groups, we have a different purpose for each.

Year 7 and Year 11 is designed to be a “meet and greet”. An opportunity for parents to put a face to the name of their child’s teachers and share any knowledge that they feel would strengthen our partnership. Teachers will focus on learning behaviours, not grades and outcomes.

Year 12 is an opportunity for parents to also meet their child’s teachers and receive a more comprehensive update on their child. As Year 12 are approaching a current period of assessment, teachers may not have the results of those tasks at the time of the learning conversation.

If these dates do not suit, or your child’s teacher is not available, I encourage you to make contact (phone or email) with your child’s teachers.

As per all conversations in relation to our students’ learning, we encourage your child to also attend the evening. These interviews are one part of the very important process of our students gaining the most from their schooling and provide an opportunity for parents and teachers to meet to ensure open and collaborative communication which assists students not only in their learning, but in their growth as young men and women.

In addition to class teachers, Jo Pilgrim, Leader of Career Transitions and Pathways will be available for Year 11 and 12 students via the booking system.

You can now book interviews at times that suit at www.schoolinterviews.com.au and follow these simple instructions.

Please ensure you provide your full name, and your child’s full name, when entering your details.  Please note bookings will close on Friday, 10 March.

When you click finish, your interview timetable will be emailed to you automatically - check your junk mail folder if you do not receive your email immediately.

Interviews are strictly 5 minutes and spaces are limited. If you require more time, please contact teachers directly to make alternative arrangements.

Parents can change their interview bookings, any time prior to the closing date, by re-visiting the www.schoolinterviews.com.au website, and using the event code. Remember to use the same name and email address you used when you made your original booking.

Christine Harmer
Assistant Principal, Learning and Teaching

Evangelisation

Year 7 Transitus Retreat

Students from Year 7 have the opportunity to attend the CSO TRANSITUS Retreat.

When: Monday 13 & Tuesday 14 March

Where: Yarrahapinni Youth Centre, Grassy Head

Cost:  Nil. All transport and booking expenses met by the Catholic Schools Office.

What is the Transitus Retreat?

Last year, 19 Year 7 and 2 supporting Year 10 MacKillop students traveled to Yarrahapinni for the CSO Transitus Retreat. These students joined with students from St. Joseph’s Regional College, St. Paul’s Kempsey, McAuley College Grafton and St John Paul College Coffs Harbour.

The overnight retreat involved a variety of faith based activities including times for prayer and reflection, small groups and games. The retreat invited the Year 7 students to reflect on their recent transition into high school and how Jesus is present for them in the midst of their joys and difficulties.

The retreat was a success complete with campfire songs and plenty of laughter!

If your child is interested in finding out more about Transitus or in attending, please remind them to talk with their RE teacher, ask to see Mrs Gobius or email marg.gobius@lism.catholic.edu.au

Marg Gobius
Leader of Evangelisation

Kindergarten Enrolment Information Sessions

Give your child the best start to their learning life with St Agnes' Education. Register for a Kindergarten 2024 Enrolment Information Session to find out all you need to know about sending your child to a St Agnes' Education Primary School in 2024.

At our schools, your child will:

• learn from professional, highly skilled and dedicated teachers that know how to help them reach their full potential;

• be embraced by a community that cares for them and teaches them to care for others and their world; and

• grow spiritually, socially, physically, morally and intellectually.

Please check your zoning before registering to ensure you attend the information session aligned to the school zoned for where you live. You can view the zoning map on our website www.enrolinexcellence.org.au

Information session details:

St Agnes' Primary School – Tuesday, 21 March 2023 – 5:30pm

St Joseph's Primary School – Thursday, 23 March 2023 – 5:30pm

St Peter's Primary School – Monday, 20 March 2023 – 5:30pm

For questions regarding school zoning, please contact the Education Enrolment Team on (02) 6588 7444.

Wellbeing

With the Christmas holidays a distant memory we are all systems go at school. Plenty of great things have happened already with our #weThrive interviews, swimming carnivals and everyone enjoying new subjects with new teachers to name a few. With the term approaching the halfway point (already!) there are lots of things to note but I will keep to three.

1. Our signature character strength for the term is Love of Learning. Which, as you can imagine, is a perfect strength for us. Our character strength ‘hype man’, Lennox Jensen, introduced this strength perfectly in our assembly, encouraging everyone to really embrace their passion for finding out new things and not just at school. All of us learn something new every single day but this strength asks you to not only absorb that learning, but to really embrace and nurture it.  

1. ManCave and Like a ‘Girl’ - Breaking down the barriers: Our Year 9 students will experience a day tailor made for their needs on Friday, 3 March. Addressing specific topics such as stereotypes, friendships, respect and the right to be who you are. Days like these are so valuable in helping our young people be the best versions of themselves. Both Warren Lorger and myself are very keen to see the positive impact this day will have on the Year group. 

1. Cyber information talks: ySafe (com.au) will be attending MacKillop on Monday, 27 March to speak with some of our Year groups (7, 9 and 10) in their cyber ‘area of need’. A whole range of topics across the groups will be covered such as cyberbullying, sexting, social media and digital footprints. A virtual parent seminar will also be offered on Tuesday, 27 March to inform you on how best to keep your child/children safe online and support their technology use. Details of this seminar and how to register will be posted on Facebook and will be included in next fortnight’s newsletter within Rhys Jones’ (Leader of Technology) section.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Lisa Kable
Leader of Wellbeing - Social and Emotional Support

A4 Art Prize

The Creative Arts Nest on behalf of St Agnes’ Education is excited to announce the A4Art Prize is back for 2023!

The A4Art Prize encourages creativity in young artists and staff from across all St Agnes’ Catholic Parish Schools. Set to be bigger and better than last year, our 2023 A4Art Prize will feature more categories and even more prizes!

The Arts Nest is also thrilled to announce the popular A4Art Pop-Up Touring Exhibition will be back, showcasing all finalists artwork so that future artists get to experience the joy of exhibiting and see an audience appreciate their work.

The A4ART Prize 2023 is now open and more information can be found at artsnest.com.au regarding categories, prizes along with terms and conditions. 

In case you missed it, some incredible statistics to share from our humble 2022 A4Art Prize:

• More than 240 Artworks submitted.
• 6291 voting tokens placed in jars where students and staff voted for the People’s Choice Award when the finalists artworks toured all six of our Parish Schools in our A4Art Pop-Up Exhibition.
• 1768 voting tokens placed in jars at the 2022 Port Macquarie ArtWalk, where an estimated 3000 community members visited our A4Art Room
• 1572 Online votes cast for the Community Choice Award

Year 7

Swimming Carnival Success

Year 7 students' first high school swimming carnival was a great release from the classroom.

Our PC Team was so proud of those students who were able to have a fantastic day in the pool and at the poolside. The carnival was a great opportunity for students to show their swimming skills and compete against their peers, while also having fun and making new friends. Great House spirit and engagement were shown by all, and what impressed me greatly was the willingness to participate and try (despite a lack of confidence sometimes). We would like to thank all of the students, teachers, and parents and carers who helped make the day a success. We look forward to seeing even more amazing performances at next year's swimming carnival!

Upcoming Events

• NAPLAN

In Weeks 7 and 8 of this term all students in Years 7 and 9 will be sitting NAPLAN. These tests assess the literacy and numeracy skills your child is already learning at school. It is important to remember that NAPLAN is not about passing or failing, but about assessing learning progress. The best approach for preparing your child for NAPLAN is to encourage your child to do the best they can on the day.

In the lead up to the tests we would just appreciate your support in ensuring that Year 7:

• completely shut down and restart their device the night before, to allow for any updates to take place on their device;
• bring their earphones to listen to the Audio aspects of the tests (preferably corded not wireless); and
• fully charge their device and potentially bring a charger to top up power if needed.

Further information on NAPLAN can be found in the newsletter.

• Learning Conversations

On Monday 13 March (Week 7) we will be holding a Learning Conversations evening in the College Hall on the junior site from 4:00pm-7:30pm

Year 7 is designed to be a “meet and greet”. An opportunity for parents to put a face to the name of their child’s teachers and share any knowledge that they feel would strengthen our partnership. As per all conversations in relation to our students’ learning, we encourage your child to also attend the evening. If these dates do not suit, or your child’s teacher is not available, I encourage you to make contact (phone or email) with your child’s teachers. 

Congratulations

Congratulations to Mark Temple who has received a Leader of Pastoral Care Award.

Adam O’Brien
Year 7 Leader of Pastoral Care

Year 8

Swimming Carnival

Fun in the sun with friends, a swim for competitors to perform and participants to engage in the cool water, all earning House points along the way - the swimming carnival was a fantastic day!

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It was disappointing to note 55 students in Year 8 had unexplained absences for a day that caters for varied swimming levels. Community days are occasional in the school year but important for building school spirit, and I urge all carers to encourage their child to participate in these different compulsory school days and build their connections with their peers. 

Girls Yoga

Another opportunity is offered for girls every Wednesday at 7:45am in the junior gym to engage in a yoga session. Yoga can support and help young people experience more centeredness and less distress. Elizabeth Robertson, Rachael Clark and Kylie Ryan will supervise and participate in yoga sessions with our MacKillop young women.

PDHPE Full Sport Uniform Required

A criterion for student reports in their approach to learning is Organisation and Preparation for class i.e. a student knows where they are up to in the learning sequence; completes work in anticipation for the next lesson; brings all necessary equipment for classwork. 

Just as a workbook, pens and a charged device are necessary equipment for a classroom, a hat, a full MacKillop sports uniform, black socks and joggers (not skate shoes) are necessary for sport and PE practical classes. No rings are worn as it is a safety issue with any drill or activity. PDHPE has a ‘head to toe’ code of presentation. 

There has been an average of four students per sport class currently not bringing their school hat to sport or PE. Please ensure your child has their school hat or cap packed and stored in their school bag to help them be prepared for outdoor classes. 

Year 8 Sport

As part of the Year 8 Sport program, the Dolphins basketball team members mentor students at school. This offers students a unique link with the community and learning from experts, a wonderful initiative of Erin Denham - and Year 8s truly enjoy the experience! 

Homework Support

The Junior Homework Club is open 3:15pm-4:30pm for studnets in Years 7-10 each Monday - Thursday in the College Library. 

Some students prefer to keep momentum of the day to complete homework and prepare for assessments, then go home to relax. Students are supervised by a teacher or teacher’s assistant, both ready and willing to help with a specific subject and/or organisation and/or tips and/or ‘chunking down’ tasks. 

In 2023, homework assistance will be provided for students in the Junior Homework Club with the supervision of a staff member’s specialty:

Students are required to sign in-out of the library when they attend.

Nicole O'Connell
Year 8 Leader of Pastoral Care

NAPLAN

In Weeks 7 and 8 of this term, all students in Years 7 and 9 will be sitting NAPLAN. These tests assess the literacy and numeracy skills your child is already learning at school. Teachers will ensure students are familiar with the format of the tests before the NAPLAN test window. It is important to remember that NAPLAN is not about passing or failing, but about assessing learning progress. The best approach for preparing your child for NAPLAN is to encourage your child to do the best they can on the day.

For your planning, and to ensure all students attend school and arrive on time, please see the times below for our tests:

Parents may choose to withdraw their child from NAPLAN tests, or your child may be exempt from NAPLAN tests if they have:

• significant disabilities that severely limit their capacity to participate in the tests; or
• a language background other than English and have recently arrived in Australia (less than a year before the tests).

Please contact Loretta North via email loretta.north@lism.catholic.edu.au if you wish to withdraw your child or Daniel Blackman daniel.blackman@lism.catholic.edu.au if your child requires disability provisions or is exempt by no later than 10 March, 2023.

Year 9

What a fantastic day was had at the swimming carnival last week. It was fantastic to see so many of our students participating in both the competitive and novelty events on the day. The smiles on their faces as they supported their friends and team mates was inspiring to see.

I just wanted to say a big thank you to all parents for working with the school in supporting our students to wear the correct uniform each day. If you are unsure when your child should be wearing sports uniform, their PC teacher would be the person to contact as they are monitoring this each day. If you are also unsure about what your child should or shouldn’t be wearing, the Code of Presentation can be found on pages 15-18 of their school diary.

Below is a link to the Year 9 Assessment Calendar for any parents or carers who want to help their child map out their upcoming tasks for this term and beyond.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1W0sQdmS5UHuggG8VjxPV2_V1k1P4NaVu3ao3x1VK28Q/edit#gid=799159880

For any parents out there who don’t have Tik Tok, below is a link to a Four Corners series on Tik Tok that gives an insight into what our young people are doing and seeing on this social media platform.
https://iview.abc.net.au/show/four-corners

Term 1 Planner

As always, if you have any questions or concerns do not hesitate to contact myself, Glen Littler or your child’s PC teacher.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Jaesan Edmund who has received a Leader of Pastoral Care Award.

Dave Kennedy
Year 9 Leader of Pastoral Care

Year 10

Year 10 Information Night

Thank you to those who attended the information evening on Tuesday. It was great to be able to put names to faces and speak about some of the wellbeing issues facing our young people. As a Catholic school, our Pastoral Care systems aim to enable every student to achieve the fullness of life. This means that our children are able to feel valued as individuals as they develop physically, socially, mentally and academically, whilst exploring their relationship with God.

All of our teachers and staff aim to support your children to achieve this goal. In my role in particular, I want them to face challenges, learn new skills, foster new relationships and ultimately develop into young people of substance and great character, who are ready to thrive in a challenging and changing world.

Here is a summary of the tips that were presented on the night and a list of references for you to check out.

Vaping, Alcohol and Drugs

• Know where your child is and who they are spending time with
• Establish rules; make consequences and stick to them
• Call the host of parties, sleepovers
• Have a conversation early with your child about what they think about alcohol, drugs and vaping

Technology

• Check the privacy settings on their devices
• Get them to start a positive digital profile for themselves (who do they follow and who follows them is important)
• Respect, responsibility and positive participation online
• Speaking with your child so they recognise social media is not reality
• Model positive technology usage
• Have open conversations
• Joining in (show them how you how to use apps etc.)
• Remove devices, turn the Wi-Fi OFF

Sleep

• Routine is crucial
• Remove electronic devices from the room - technology should not be in the bedroom
• Association: Bed is only for sleep
• One-hour break from study or device before sleep
• Exercise regularly
• Eat healthily - avoid certain foods before bed ie sugar, caffeine etc.

Sexual Health

• Try to be approachable, un-shockable and available to listen
• Be willing to answer questions openly and honestly
• Provide the correct information
• Encourage questions
• Know your own values
• Acknowledge that your child may have different views to your own
• Know your boundaries – have someone in mind they can talk to
• Be aware of your verbal and non-verbal communication
• Listen well
• Discuss issues relating to both males and females
• Be technologically aware

Mental Health

• Give accurate information
• Healthy relationships: talk, share, laugh, shared experiences
• Do the things you love; cultivate strengths
• Exercise
• Manage your time
• Ask for help
• Balance life

Study and Homework

• Have a study space
• Have a good understanding of what you are going to do at your desk
• Balance
• Year 10 we would expect two hours’ homework and study per night
• Homework Club: Monday - Thursday in Library 3:15pm - 4:30pm
• Maths Tutorials: Tuesday and Friday 7:45am - 8:30am in Room 12
• Use the diary to organise

Resources

• eSafety Website - https://www.esafety.gov.au/
• Safe on Social Toolkit - safeonsocialtoolkit.com/  (Kirra Pendergast)
• Carly Ryan Foundation - carlyryanfoundation.com/
• MacKillop Website – Parent Portal
• Michael Carr-Gregg - https://michaelcarrgregg.com (Psychologist)
• Drug and Alcohol Research Australia - https://darta.net.au/ (Paul Dillon)
• https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/tobacco/pages/vaping-parents.aspx
• https://bodytalk.org.au/parents-and-carers/tips-for-talking-with-your-children/
• https://www.happyfamilies.com.au/

Careers

As discussed by Jo Pilgrim, please check out the MacKillop College Careers website for more information about careers and pathways for our Year 10 students. 

Assessment and Curriculum

Please refer to the College Assessment page for items discussed by Christine Harmer. 

Jasmine Lacey – Laps for Life

Jasmine is swimming 30kms to support a very relevant cause.

Did you know suicide is the leading cause of death for young people in Australia?
That means that each year more young people die by suicide than in car accidents or from cancer.

This March, I'm swimming 30km to make sure young people in Australia have the mental health support they urgently need.

By sponsoring my challenge, you’ll be helping to prevent youth suicide. All funds raised will help young people feel better about today and the future, no matter what challenge they're facing. 

The donations will go to the ReachOut Australia at the end of the month. Please visit the website below if you would like to make a donation:

https://www.lapsforlife.com.au/s/25949/30369

Jasmine

Daniel O’Dell
Year 10 Leader of Pastoral Care

NSW School Vaccinations

When: Tuesday and Wednesday 28 & 29 March, 2023

If your child is in Year 7 or Year 10 this year, you can now provide online consent for their routine school vaccinations.

In Year 7, students are offered free vaccines for diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (dTpa) and human papillomavirus (HPV). In Year 10, students are offered the meningococcal ACWY vaccine.

Vaccination will only be provided at school if consent has been received. 

How to provide consent:

1. To complete online consent for your child’s school vaccinations visit: https://nswhealth.service-now.com/school
2. Click the login with ‘Service NSW Account’ button and log in using your Service NSW details. This is the same account you may already use to renew your driver’s licence. If you don’t have a Service NSW account, refer to Service NSW to create one. 
3. Update or confirm your personal details in Service NSW as required. 
4. Complete the School Vaccination Consent Form for your child/ren. You will need to:  
   1. Enter your child’s personal details 
   2. Provide the Medicare card details for you and your child  
   3. Read the linked Parent Information Sheet and privacy statement
   4. Provide consent  

If you or your child do not have a Medicare card, consent can still be provided by requesting a paper-based consent form directly from your child’s school.

Read a step-by-step guide on how to provide consent online. Translated guides are available in Arabic, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese.

For more information on routine school vaccinations, please visit www.health.nsw.gov.au/schoolvaccination.

Translated information about school vaccination is available in 27 languages, please visit www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation/Pages/school_vaccination_language.aspx 

Year 11

What a fantastic couple of weeks we’ve had settling into a new routine, new teachers, new environment and the different vibe that the senior campus offers its students. These last couple of weeks have been punctuated by the Year 11 Information Night, an extended PC where the Year 11’s worked on goal and system setting and the swimming carnival which provided a great fun day to kick back our heels and enjoy the sunshine.

Year 11 Information Night

I thank all the parents and carers who came along to the Year 11 Information Night. Parents accompanying their children on the HSC journey, understanding the assessment rules and what is expected of their child in the next two years will certainly help them and give them someone to bounce issues off when they arise.

Goals and Systems

At the Information Night, I spoke about goals and systems being vital as Year 11 start the HSC. At a recent pastoral care meeting, we all had a chance to unpack this a little by working in pastoral care classes to create a poster that shows us some of the ideas, goals and systems that people are adopting. I was blown away by the artistic talent in our collective group, but more by the level of thought that our students have given to their future. Of course, with most things we do, it turned into a competition, and the best poster of the day (judged by Mrs North) was created by the Lions (11PC6) 

Swimming Carnival

A wonderful day, best described in photos:

Bruce Smith
Year 11 Leader of Pastoral Care

Year 12

Parent Breakfast

At MacKillop we value the importance of partnerships with our parents and families and believe it takes a “village to raise a child”. Last Wednesday morning was a wonderful example of the importance of those partnerships as we had breakfast together with our Year 12 parents, carers and students. The senior canteen area was full of conversation, laughter, music and the smell of bacon and eggs cooked by our BBQ crew (a group of Year 12 students who regularly put up their hand to run the BBQ for College functions). Thank you to all the parents who were able to come along last week, your ongoing support is appreciated. 

Swimming Carnival

The Senior Swimming Carnival took place again this year last Wednesday at the local pool. There was plenty of colour, excitement, blow up flotation devices for the novelty race, cheering, and of course impressive swimming styles on show. The mighty Innes House were victorious on the day and were almost unbeatable in the relays.

The PC race was won by PC13 in the Year 12 race and PC5 in the Year 11 race.

A massive thank you must go to our hard working House Captains: Ben Hamel, Isabella Morris, Harper Murray and Josh Newton for their hard work and dedication at the carnival.

Elevate

Year 12 will be taking part in the Elevate Education Seminar on Monday, 27 February. The students will attend two sessions on the day during Periods 2 and 3 - the Study Sensei seminar and the Ace Your Exams seminar, both presented by Elevate Education at the College. Elevate is a multi-award winning study skills provider helping students to improve their study techniques, increase motivation, build confidence and lift exam performance.

Students will still need to pack their books for Periods 1, 4 and 5 on Monday.

Learning Conversations 

On Monday, 13 March (Week 7) we will be holding a Learning Conversations evening in the College Hall on the junior site from 4:00pm-7:30pm for families with children in Years 7, 11 and 12. Whilst we do combine the Year groups, we have a different purpose for each.

Year 12 is an opportunity for parents to also meet their child’s teachers and receive a more comprehensive update on their child. As Year 12 are approaching a current period of assessment teachers may not have the results of those tasks at the time of the learning conversation. 

If these dates do not suit, or your child’s teacher is not available, I encourage you to make contact (phone or email) with your child’s teachers. 

As per all conversations in relation to our students’ learning, we encourage your child to also attend the evening. These interviews are one part of the very important process of our students gaining the most from their schooling and provide an opportunity for parents and teachers to meet to ensure open and collaborative communication which assists students not only in their learning but in their growth as young men and women. 

In addition to class teachers, Jo Pilgrim Leader of Career Transitions and Pathways will be available for Year 11 and 12 students via the booking system. 

Tracey Bewicke
Year 12 Leader of Pastoral Care

Careers Corner

Hi everyone, I'm Jo Pilgrim, Leader of Career Transitions and Pathways.

I'm available Monday, Tuesday and Thursday on the senior site to talk to Year 11 and 12 students about their current subject choices, university or anything else regarding career pathways, looking at what life will be like after Year 12.

On Wednesdays I'll be located on the junior site to help with resumes, work experience in Year 9 and 10 as well as school/subject selection for Year 10.

Parents and carers are most welcome to make an appointment via the link below, or call the College Office 6583 2632 if you would like to speak with me.

Please click on the link below to make an appointment:

www.mackillopcollegecareers.com/for-parents/appointment-booking (click on the blue Make an Appointment tab).

Jo Pilgrim
Leader of Career Transitions and Pathways

Bus Safety Week

Bus Safety Week reminds all road users to ‘Be Bus Aware’

Our school bus operator Busways is reminding all road users, parents, and students to ‘be bus aware’ as part of Transport for NSW’s Bus Safety Week campaign, running February 20 - 26. Bus Safety Week, part of the ‘Be Bus Aware’ campaign, sees governments, bus operators and emergency services raise awareness about the importance of being safe in and around buses and spread the message to ‘Be Bus Aware’.

The initiative provides a timely reminder to parents to have a talk with their children about bus safety; to motorists when giving way to buses; to pedestrians to make sure they are alert of their surroundings; and to cyclists to ensure they can see where buses are. We all have a part to play in bus safety. The ‘Be Bus Aware’ campaign has been developed with input from Bus NSW, NSW Police and Transport for NSW.  

For more information on bus safety or to learn about Transport for NSW’s ‘Be Bus Aware’ campaign, visit https://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/campaigns/be-bus-aware/ or visit the Busways website www.busways.com.au. 

Music News

MacKillop College Music News

“Beautiful music is the art of the prophets that can calm the agitations of the soul; it is one of the most magnificent and delightful presents God has given us.”- Martin Luther

String Ensemble

We are pleased to announce the return of String Ensemble rehearsals to Mackillop College. Michaeli Witney comes to us from Sydney as a cellist with a wealth of teaching experience. Students participating in this ensemble meet every Thursday morning in the J14 music room. This group is open to students of all abilities. In addition, Michaeli offers one to one private tuition. Please complete the music tuition request form linked below if you are interested in organising tuition.

Ensemble Shirts

Ensemble shirt orders have been made and will be available for students within the next couple of weeks. Students and families will be notified via email when shirts become available for collection from the music trainee in the music storeroom on the junior campus.

Links & Forms

Music Ensemble Sign Up Form 2023

Music Ensemble Shirt Order Form 2023

Music Tuition Request Form 2023

Co curricular Music Google Classroom

Please contact Mr Denham with any questions relating to the co-curricular music program at MacKillop College.

Upcoming Events

Year 7 Mass

• Tuesday 7 March - St Agnes Parish Church, 12:00pm. The Collective Praise Band & Singers

Youth & Family Mass

• Sunday 12 March - St Agnes Parish Church, 4:15pm - 6:15pm. The Collective Praise Band & Singers

Year 10 Mass

• Friday 24 March - TBC. Selected Collective Praise Band & Singers

Assembly Performance

Wednesday 29 March - College Hall, 8:15am (sound check). Period 1. Senior Percussion Ensemble

Easter Liturgy (Parish)

• Sunday 2 April - St Agnes Parish Church, 3:00pm - 4:00pm. The Collective Praise Band & Singers

Youth & Family Mass

• Sunday 2 April - St Agnes Parish Church, 4:15pm - 6:15pm. The Collective Praise Band & Singers

Easter Liturgy (College)

• Wednesday 5 April - College Hall, 8:15am (sound check). Period 1. The Collective Praise Band & Singers

Caritas Lunch Concert

• Wednesday 5 April - COLA , Lunch 1. Year 11 & 12 soloists, The Collective Praise Band & Singers, Senior percussion Ensemble, Junior Rhythm Section.

Robert Denham
Leader of Co-Curricular Music

Dance at MacKillop College

Co - curricular Dance at MacKillop College 

Come and Try sessions and registrations

• Year 7 students - Tuesday morning 7:45am - 8:30am in the Dance studio 
• Year 8-12 students - Thursday morning 7:45am - 8:30am in the Dance studio
• Company - Monday lunch 2 (starting Week 6)

MacKillop College has a strong culture of Co-curricular Dance which encourages students to be creative and experience new things while developing a wide range of dance skills and techniques.  

Students interested in dance, gymnastics, physical culture, or cheerleading are invited to be a part of the  2023 Co-curricular Dance Ensemble. The ensembles are open to students from Years 7-12 and cater for beginners through to advanced dancers. All ensembles require full commitment to rehearsals and performances and include a yearly fee. This is an excellent opportunity to make new friends and be part of a team! 

Co-curricular Dance 2023 will be streamed into 3 tiers/ensembles: 

Year 7 only - Ignite (Tuesday morning) 
Year 8-12 - Elevate (Thursday morning) 
Year 8-12 - Dance Company, Fusion (Monday Lunch 2) 

Ignite 

Open to all Year 7 students, with opportunities to perform at Eisteddfods, Co-curricular and Dance showcases. Every Tuesday morning 7:45am  - 8:30am in the dance studio. 

Elevate 

Open to students in Years 8-12. Students participate in classes in a variety of styles that develop skills in technique, performance with opportunities to perform a routine at Co-curricular and Dance showcases. 

Every Thursday morning 7:45am - 8:30am in the dance studio

Dance Company - Fusion 

Open to students in Years 8-12. A selective group of talented and promising dancers who wish to excel, be challenged and be a part of a dedicated Dance Company. Entrance into this group is by audition only. 
MDC performs at Eisteddfods, Co-curricular, Dance showcases and other school or community performance opportunities 

Selected lunch times with possible one-off morning or afternoon rehearsals/workshops.

Wakakirri Dance

Want to be part of our Wakakirri family in 2023? Easy! Register your interest below by completing this form. 

Not sure what Wakakirri is all about? Read the info below and click on the links. 

In 2022, MacKillop took part in the Wakakirri Story Dance Festival for the first time in the school's history! We took out a National Award for our performance! We had not one, but two trips to Sydney to perform. 

Check out the Wakakirri page https://wakakirri.com

Read about Wakakirri here  School Community Information 2023

Want to find out more about Wakakirri? Check out the video https://youtu.be/xkFsjQUNAO8

Who: 

• Anyone who loves to dance, act and perform
• Anyone who is interested is set, costume and/or lighting design
• Anyone who wants to be backstage crew
• Choreographers
• Script and story writers

When: 

• Rehearsals take place Tuesday afternoons 3:15pm - 4:30pm  Term 1 and 2 starting Week 6, Term 1 

Where: 

• Dance studio (S10) and PAC (senior side) 

Performance Date: 

• Performance show Newcastle @ Civic Theatre on 1 August 2023

Possible extra performance date: 

• Awards Shows Sydney @ NIDA on 8 September 2023

Please note performances involve an overnight stay in Newcastle and if selected, in Sydney. 

Come and join the MacKillop Wakakirri team and register you interest by completing the google form 

Wakakirri 2023 Expression of Interest 

Co-curricular Dance

Co-curricular Dance started this week and any student wanting to participate in Co-curricular Dance in 2023 was invited to come and try and register for the program. 

The Year 7 class on Tuesday was great fun and students will be working with Miss Ange. Students have the opportunity to develop their technical and performance skills whilst exploring different styles of dance, as well as learning a routine to perform at local Eisteddfods and school showcase evenings.

If you were unable to attend this week but would like to join, please come along next week! 

If you have any questions or concerns please email Miss Eggert.

Jamanda Eggert 
Dance Teacher 

Sport Update

Swimming Carnivals Wrap Up

Last week we hosted our annual swimming carnivals. The carnivals are always a great way to start the year allowing us to come together as a school, foster House spirit, embrace a healthy camaraderie between Houses and showcase the extraordinary ability of our many talented swimmers.

We kicked off with the Junior Carnival on Wednesday, where students turned up ready to have loads of fun. The Senior Carnival was a great balance between competition and fun with the grandstand resembling a sea of colour.

Thank you to the House Captains, SRC and Year 10 and Year 12 students who led by example and generated a great vibe.  To all of the staff that ensured the carnivals ran smoothly – your efforts are appreciated.

Congratulations to Jarvis Lineham and Benjamin Hamel who led their respective Houses to victory.

Winning Junior House: Innes

Winning Senior House: Innes

Overall Winning House: Innes

Junior Carnival

Senior Carnival

We wish all the competitors a safe journey to Kempsey for the Diocesan Swimming Carnival Thursday, 2 March and look forward to publishing their results over the coming weeks.

Year 7

Year 7 students will participate in their sport double once a fortnight.  Students need to come to school in their sport uniform when their timetable indicates a double sport lesson. 

Students will need to bring to school with them their swimmers, towel, rash shirt and shorts (bike pants are acceptable) to participate in the Swim & Survive course at either the Wauchope or Port Macquarie pool.

Parents have received a permission note for students to participate in the course. This should have been returned.

Year 8

Year 9

Please ensure your child has a towel, hat, rash shirt or singlet, swimmers and shorts (bike pants are acceptable) for their swimming lessons. If your child has a wetsuit it is recommended that the students bring this each week. 

If your child cannot participate in sport, please provide a note to your child’s Sport teacher providing a reason why they cannot participate. Parents received a permission note for students to participate in the course which needed to be returned.

Year 10

Year 10 students will participate in seven weeks of sport for Term 1, 2023 which began in Week 2 Tuesday 7 February. Parents and students are reminded that it is a legal requirement that the digital permission slip is completed before the student can participate in sport, even if choosing school sport.

MacKillop College Upcoming Events and Registration

All registrations for MacKillop College sport teams will be completed by students via logging into the school Moodle page. Go to the Student Links tab on the left hand side and click on the Representative Sports Registrations link. Click on the relevant sport and fill out the google form.

Students will be notified through the morning notices of when to sign up, and when trials will occur.

Click on this link to register.

Lismore Diocesan Events and Registration

Please note that the following sports are currently open for students to be able to sign up to or register their interest to trial. These sports have been advertised to students through morning notices over the past week.

Please click on this link below to register for the sports.

NSWCCC Events and Registration

* Schools will be asked to nominate teams for the Triathlon Teams event – further communication to come.

NSWCCC 2023 Sport Registrations for pathway sports are now open.

Students MUST be registered for the event with parent and Principal or Sport Coordinator approval.

Registration is through the CSNSW Sport portal. Details on how to register: 

1. Create a User ID for your child (you may already have one) Getting started guide for Parents
2. Register via the CSNSW.sportportal

Please note that the NSWCCC Sport registrations for individual nominations for 2023 selections are open for the following trials:

Swimming and Touch Football registrations are through the Diocesan/Association pathways.

For further information, go to the CSNSW Sport website Sport pages. https://csnsw.sport/

NSW All Schools – Events

The selection for these events are a result of the NSWCCC events.

Community Sport

If your child has achieved outstanding sporting results in their community sport, we would love to hear about it. Please email myself, or your child’s respective Leader of Pastoral Care, so we can acknowledge these achievements.  

If you have any questions regarding sport at MacKillop College, please do not hesitate to contact me either by email or phone at the College.

Erin Denham
Leader of Sport

Lost Property

We currently have a large range of items in lost property. If any of the below pictures contain your missing items, please collect them from outside the Office on the junior campus in our lost property trolley.

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Creative Arts Excursion

Recently the Year 11 and 12 Drama, Dance and Visual Art students travelled to Sydney for a 3 day excursion. Highlights included 'Hairspray' the musical, Callback and Onstage performances at the Seymour Centre and the ARTEXPRESS exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW. Students engaged in various workshops and educational activities including HSC Dance composition and performance workshops, a Drama workshop at the Australian Theatre for Young People and a visit to Sydney Modern, the MCA and Kinokunlya bookshop.  

Please read what two of our Year 11 Drama students had to say about the trip:

In Week 2, I had the honour of attending a three day creative arts excursion to Sydney with the Year 11 and 12 Dance, Drama and Visual Arts students. Throughout this excursion, there were a multitude of highlights and learning opportunities that made this excursion a memorable experience I will treasure for many years to come. A highlight of mine was attending ‘Hairspray’ the musical with all of the creative arts students. I was so captivated by this amazing performance, thanks to the talented cast and the showstopping musical theatre numbers that justly earnt this performance its standing ovation. I also enjoyed the experience of attending a drama workshop at the ‘Australian Theatre For Young People’. Here, we participated in group performance games, as well as learning many skills and tips that were so beneficial in redefining our performance skill sets, improvisational skills, and team bond that will, without a doubt, enhance our group performances in the future. Watching Onstage was such a highlight as well - the talent of the many scriptwriters, performers, directors, advertisers and costume designers from last year’s HSC has provided me with so much enthusiasm and inspiration for drama in the coming years. Finally, I have enjoyed sharing this experience with the amazing and generous teachers who have given up their time to provide us this wonderful opportunity, as well as the most supportive, kind and caring friends and classmates, because their presence helped to make this experience the most memorable yet. 

Emily Chan
Year 11 Drama student 

Recently Yr 11 and 12 Drama, Art and Dance students went on an amazing excursion to Sydney. The excursion involved watching the incredible Hairspray (beware that if you mention the name ‘Seaweed’ to any creative art senior student the response will involve squealing, fangirling and arguments about needing Seaweed posters around school). We also got to go to amazing workshops, the drama students went to a great workshop with the Australian Theatre for Young People where we had a fun time expanding our acting skills and strengthening our group performances. This was through games * made intensely competitive  by our super competitive Yr 11 and 12 students* and improvisational activities. Later on we were fortunate enough to watch Onstage, a showcase of some of New South Wales’ top drama performances. This wonderful excursion has been so surreal with the amount of fun and growth we have faced in the last three days. I'm so glad I got to experience this with an amazing and supportive group of creative people with whom I have laughed with, sang Hairspray karaoke, rapped and even improvised a Disney themed murder mystery with. Can't wait to do it all again next year!!

Jiya Jamu
Year 11 Drama student 

Canteen Update

Monday 27 February
Paul Atkins & help please

Tuesday 28 February
Katrina Bates & Anthea Romer

Wednesday 1 March
Peta Clancy & Clarissa Morris

Thursday 2 March
Holly King & Pauline Smith

Friday 3 March
Rowena Beukers, Renee Bullock & Kelly Dingle

Monday 6 March
No helpers needed

Tuesday 7 March
Emily Duffy & Jodie Buttsworth

Wednesday 8 March
Danielle Sen Gupta, Roz Brockhurst & Anne-Marie Murphy

Thursday 9 March
Jo Sexton & Chris Jourdant

Friday 10 March
Leanne Hatherly, Caroline Horan, Alli Tamanti & Hana Smith

To order from the canteen:

1. Orders can be written out at the canteen (bags supplied free of charge).

2. Orders can be written out at home and handed in at the canteen.

3. Download the Qkr! app and order online.

All orders to be in by 8:00am please.

There is hot food available over the counter to purchase, however to avoid disappointment it is best to order.

Please remind your child/children if you have ordered for them, and what their order is. 

If your child is sick and you have ordered, please phone the canteen (6583 2632) to arrange a credit. 

Please note to change your child's year group when using the QKR! app to order lunch for 2022.

Now available: Gluten free pies $5.00 and gluten free sausage rolls $4.00; these items must be ordered.

Canteen Help Needed

The canteen is desperately seeking volunteers for one hour per month. No cooking, cleaning or stocking needed, just serving our lovely students. Even if you can only do one half hour shift it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you to all of our current volunteers, we appreciate your help.

Sign up and receive a Welcome Pack (coffee voucher, chocolates, voucher for your child to use at the canteen).
Please contact Maxine at the College 6583 2632 or via email maxine.stone@lism.catholic.edu.au 

Homework Hubs

Maths Tutorials

Tuesday 7.45am-8.30am and  Friday 7.45am-8.30am

Room 12 Main College with Elizabeth Robertson

Ride the Wave Festival