Term 3, Week 2, 28 July

Upcoming Events

Principal's Update

NAIDOC WEEK CELEBRATIONS: 

A big thank you to our Indigenous Education Workers, Sarina and Monique for their wonderful organisation of the NAIDOC Week activities. Below is just a snapshot of some of the activities.  

COMPASS:

A big thank you to those parents who have logged in to Compass. It is certainly proving to be a valuable system. 

Like anything new, it has not been without its hiccups, and I thank parents for your patience as we navigate and learn together. We are aware some parents may have received incorrect absence messages due to our new system. We believe this has been fixed for Week 3. 

Below are links to each of the videos available to assist you in learning the new system. I ask that you encourage other parents who may not yet have downloaded and logged in to Compass to do so.

As of Week 3, you will be able to view and receive notifications if your child receives a merit, has been spoken to about their uniform or has been addressed by a teacher for a minor breach of the College Code of Behaviour Expectations. For major breaches, you will be contacted by phone. Already in Term 2, 1171 merits have been awarded to students. 

Compass support videos: 

Video 1: Explain the Compass Dashboard

Video 2: Adding a Credit Card to Compass

Video 3: How to Consent and Pay for an Event - Parents

HARMFUL TEENAGE BEHAVIOURS:

I know many parents are aware that MacKillop, and all schools across the Hastings and NSW, are currently facing a real challenge with young people and vaping. Included in the Assistant Principal - Pastoral section of this newsletter is further information on current trends and the dangers of vaping, including a current surge in the number of young people experiencing seizures due to the unknown chemicals and potency of online purchased vapes.

Last week I emailed students letting them know I had been made aware of a local dealer's social media account and had discovered a number of MacKillop students were following this dealer who arranges to meet young people at local parks or at times drops the goods to their homes. The police have been made aware of the dealer’s site in the hope they can identify them. 

I made it very clear in my email to all students that they risk their enrolment at MacKillop if they are participating in illegal behaviours. I also pointed out that the 5% or so of students participating in these behaviours are impacting the other 95% of students who love their school and proudly meet the standards of behaviour expected at MacKillop College. 

As a result of my email I have had many students and families come forward to identify students involved in vaping and other illegal behaviours. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge those students, and their families, who have had enough of this behaviour and are genuinely concerned for the safety and wellbeing of their peers. 

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank those parents who have supported the College in the first two weeks of term to improve the standard of presentation and supported teachers in having students rectify uniform issues that do not meet the College Code of Presentation. 

MacKillop College has a long and proud history of high standards of academics, behaviour and uniform expectations. Whilst it is not possible to get consensus on these standards all parents and students sign on enrolment an agreement to comply. All staff are expected to implement these expectations in order for the high standards to be maintained. I thank those parents who are working in partnership with myself and the staff in our endeavours to nurture great young adults. 

As always if you wish to discuss any matter please do not hesitate to contact your child’s PC Teacher, Leader of Pastoral Care, the relevant Leader of learning, one of the College Assistant Principals or myself. 

Cath Eichmann
Principal

Assistant Principal - Mission

NAIDOC

NAIDOC Week is a time to celebrate the histories, cultures and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It’s held each year during the first week of July and is an important annual event where everyone is invited to join in the celebrations. Unfortunately for schools, NAIDOC Week always occurs during school holidays. Rather than miss this important celebration, MacKillop College officially recognised and celebrated NAIDOC this week.

This year the 2023 theme is For Our Elders. For an insight into what it means to be an elder, click the link.

Understanding Eldership.

Across the week our morning prayer has celebrated aboriginal culture. Cultural activities included a bush meat tasting BBQ, didgeridoo playing, Googik Track educational walk and celebratory lunch, Flag Raising Ceremony, native foods morning tea for staff, and Dreamtime storytelling.

Christian Outreach

On Tuesday MacKillop hosted the semi-finals of the NSW CCC Soccer knockout competition. Our Christian Outreach team made the most of this as a fundraising opportunity to support the purchase of meals we provide for the MacKillop shift of Make A Difference Port Macquarie (MAD PMQ). Many bacon and egg rolls, chicken burgers, drinks and treats were sold. Sufficient funds were raised to cover the cost of all meals for the shift in term 3. Well done and thank you to the volunteers.

North Coast Academy of Sport (NCAS)

On Monday, a group of eight students travelled to Woolgoolga to participate in the NCAS Indigenous Talented Athlete Identification Program. Students were tested across a range of metrics to determine their strengths. This included standing jump, seated throw, beep test, 20m sprint, arm span and other measures. Students also had the opportunity to learn and practice skills in golf, netball and basketball. All students benefited from the experience. Following the day, schools will receive data on their students and a sporting scholarship and two partial scholarships will be awarded.

God bless
Peter Murphy
Assistant Principal - Mission

Assistant Principal - Pastoral

Vaping

It is illegal to sell e-cigarettes (vapes) or e-cigarette accessories to a person under 18 years of age.

NSW Public Health (Tobacco) Act 2008

Six teenagers have been hospitalised within eight days of each other following seizures, loss of consciousness and vomiting after vaping. The Sydney Morning Herald reports New South Wales (NSW) Health understood that some of the vapes the teens had were purchased from sellers on the popular social media platform Snapchat.

(Sydney Morning Herald, 9 July 2023)

The popularity of vaping among young people today is well documented. It is not clustered into certain geographic or socio-economic areas or isolated to Port Macquarie; it is a state-wide, national and global phenomenon. 

Social media depicts vaping as a societal norm - influencers use vapes during their daily activities, vape tricks and challenges are highlighted and promotional giveaways are prevalent. Social media platforms (Snapchat and Instagram) have also evolved into the preferred medium for purchasing vapes. 

Curiosity, rebellion, self-esteem, ‘fitting in’, and seeing it as an enjoyable experience are some of the major reasons our young people are vaping. They are aware of the health and social risks but these other reasons for vaping outweigh those concerns. 

The recent school holidays saw six Sydney teenagers hospitalised following ‘seizures, loss of consciousness and vomiting after vaping’. These severe responses have also been felt in our own community. 

How can we keep our young people safe? 

• Empower ourselves with knowledge and have open conversations about vaping; the information we provide may help them make positive decisions about their health.
• Monitor mood or habit changes, increased secrecy or spending and behaviour or achievement changes. Have a conversation about what you have noticed and ask if there is anything they would like to talk about. Continue to check in with them. 
• If your child is vaping, remain calm and ask open-ended questions to find out the reasons they are vaping. Help them to problem-solve the reasons behind their vaping.
• Let them know help is available - Quitline, Aboriginal Quitline and iCanQuit are online options or book an appointment with your GP for more personalised support.
• Help them find alternate activities to become involved with and alternate search pages on social media (algorithms will continue to show them vaping related material). 
• Ensure a clear message is conveyed - vaping is not safe and it is illegal whilst underage. Have clear consequences for this behaviour.  

All students will be reminded of the importance of school as a safe environment for themselves and others, of making positive choices when they are part of a community and of the health and social risks associated with vaping.

Parents may like to view this Safe on Social Webinar titled Clearing the Smoke which provides current information about Teen Vaping and Social Media. 

Webinar - Clearing the Smoke

eSafety Webinar

The Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT, in partnership with the eSafety Commissioner, is offering all parents, carers, teachers and support staff the opportunity to join a free webinar designed for parents and carers of students in secondary school.

The 30-minute webinar is designed for parents and carers of young people in secondary school.

It will cover:

• the impact of sharing nude images without consent;
• practical suggestions for starting the chat about respectful relationships, consent and pressure to send nudes;
• where to get support for a young person who has experienced abuse;
• the impact of sharing nude images without consent.

Webinar details:  Tuesday 15 August 7.30pm – 8.00pm

Register here.

Who wants to thrive in Term 3?

Jennifer Campbell
Assistant Principal - Pastoral

St Agnes Catholic Parish Rock Youth Group

Digging a hole with a teaspoon is not much fun.
The Old Testament has some strange stories which make it difficult to read when you don’t have the right tools.

Come along to Rock Youth Group this Sunday to get the right tools!

• St Agnes Parish Hall
• Sunday, 30 July, from 6:00pm - 8:00pm
• $5 for dinner

Not sure how to get there?
Go down the main entrance of St Agnes’ Church in Hay Street, then follow the Leo’s Lane pathway and signage to the Parish Hall. Or, head into the carpark up the hill from KFC on Hayward street!

St Agnes Uniform Store

Please find below a link to an updated St Agnes Parish Secondary Schools Uniform Price List. This will be effective from Monday, 31 July 2023.

Attendance

Year 7

Welcome back to a new semester! Refreshed by a break with quality time with family and friends, it is wonderful to see Year 7 get right into the new semester.

A new semester brings the promise of new possibilities. During extended PC in week one I asked all Year 7 to complete a survey reflecting on the effort, achievement and areas of improvement in Semester 1.  I encouraged every student to reflect on their school report and set two new goals to plan and work towards. Clarifying a goal keeps students moving forward; achieving goals translates to feelings of success and confidence for students, which in turn leads to greater confidence and productivity.

Below is a snapshot of some of the data collected, interestingly the three categories below were where students recognised, they could improve the most. Teaching and learning is a partnership and I encourage all students to engage with their teachers, ask questions to clarify their understanding and find a strategy that works for them to consolidate their learning at home.

Please take 15 minutes to sit with your young person and speak with them about the goals they have set for themselves this term.

NAPLAN

Students were given their NAPLAN results on Tuesday to take home to parents and carers.  The results are a snapshot of students reading, writing, language conventions and numeracy skills. This feedback on student results is designed to provide the school and parents with data on strengths and areas of development.

Adam O’Brien
Year 7 Leader of Pastoral Care

Year 8

Welcome back to a new semester! Refreshed by a break with quality time with family and friends, it is wonderful to see Year 8 return to settling into the routines of school life with preparedness, positivity and energy to ‘do better’.

Semester 2 Setting Goals - Think it, plan it, do it.

A new semester brings the promise of new possibilities. In Extended PC last Wednesday, I encouraged every student to reflect on their school report and set two new goals to plan and work towards this semester. Clarifying a goal keeps students moving forward; achieving goals translates to feelings of success and confidence for students, which in turn leads to greater confidence and productivity. Please take 10 minutes to sit with your son or daughter and speak with them about the goals they have set for themselves this term (each student was sent a copy of their responses via email after completing the Google Form). 

Let’s take care of the ‘little things’ while they are still little

I would like to call on parents and carers to remind and support Year 8 to continue to: meet the Code of Presentation at a high standard; use the College Diary; complete homework; be punctual; follow the teachers’ instructions; engage in learning, and most importantly, be respectful to staff and peers. It is by taking care of such matters that we set up Year 8 for greater success to develop positive relationships and engage more effectively at school. 

The move to our new Communication Platform, Compass, has been quickly embraced by our young people who so easily adapt to new apps. 

I expect parents and carers will also appreciate the ease with which they can access school information about their son or daughter and communicate with staff. Working together is key to assisting our young people to achieve their personal best. Please do not hesitate to make contact with your student’s PC teacher or me to help them thrive at school - the Compass app - Have you downloaded it yet? 

Winter Woollies Appeal - Warm items you can spare and share

It was wonderful to see Year 8 support the Winter Woollies Appeal today on Out of Uniform Day. Many accepted the challenge to wear at least one item they have purchased from Vinnies (or any other Opp Shop) and to donate $2 or more for the pleasure…

Congratulations to those students who went the extra mile to attend the Vinnies Sleep Out tonight at Newman Senior Technical College. Their preparedness to give up one night in a warm, comfortable bed to help raise funds and awareness about homelessness and disadvantage in our very own backyard is a highly praiseworthy commitment to social justice 

If you would like to support the students' additional fundraising for our Vinnies Sleep Out, please click HERE.

Nicole O’Connell
Year 8 Leader of Pastoral Care

Year 9

Welcome to term 3!

As the new Year 9 Leader of Pastoral Care, I have been impressed with the way students have approached the new term. I find that establishing and maintaining productive relationships is vital for success in this role and I have been getting to know many students in the initial stages of the term.

I value being involved with developing resilient young individuals through academic, community, cultural, and sporting engagements. The benefits of such are clear to see and I strongly encourage students to immerse themselves in as many opportunities as possible so that they can experience the fullness of life. Last week, our Extracurricular Activities Survey was completed in PC. I encourage any student who has not yet completed this to do so as soon as practicable so that we can plan for wider involvement in a broad range of activities.

We live in a fast-paced society and school is no exception. My key message to students in our first-year meeting was “Don’t get left behind”. This message is a challenge to our cohort on many levels. Academically, in 12 months' time, students will be making some key decisions on their future for senior school. When looking at such decisions, it is important to be informed by data and recently, in addition to the Semester One Reports being released, so too have the latest NAPLAN results (please check your inbox). In addition to this, the challenge set is also on a behavioural and social level, it is important that our behaviours and the way we manage social situations align with a young person entering into Year 10.

Every day is important and matters. Embrace the opportunities that each day brings and you certainly will be at the front of the pack.

Tom Salter
Year 9 Leader of Pastoral Care

Year 10

Newman Senior Technical College Visit

Last week, Year 10 students embarked on an exciting visit to Newman College. This visit marked the first time for many of them to step foot in Newman. The purpose of the visit was to acquaint them with Newman's unique operational style and to showcase the potential it holds for their future endeavours.

During the visit, the students were warmly introduced to the functioning of Newman College, giving them a glimpse of what life at the institution could entail. They were shown how Newman fosters a supportive learning environment and empowers students to pursue their passions and aspirations.

To provide a comprehensive experience, the students were divided into smaller groups and guided on an immersive tour around the college campus. This allowed them to explore various areas within the college and gain valuable insights into the diverse range of subjects offered.

Overall, the visit left an indelible impression on the Year 10 students, igniting their curiosity and sparking aspirations for their academic journey. The exposure to Newman College's vibrant atmosphere has undoubtedly inspired them to consider it as a potential path for their future education and personal growth.

MacKillop College 2024

Thank you to all who attended our Year 11 MacKillop College 2024 Information Evening on Wednesday. We were delighted to see both parents and students in attendance, and it was a pleasure to discuss your child's future with you. During the event, we provided students, parents, and carers with all the essential information about MacKillop College 2024, along with a glimpse of what the next two years could hold for our Year 10 students.

As the next step in the process, we invite students to join us for the MacKillop College Open Day on Monday, 31 July. This offers a fantastic opportunity for students to explore the range of subjects available and engage with the teachers who lead those courses. We strongly encourage them to ask as many questions as possible, empowering them to make well-informed decisions about their academic journey and future aspirations. We believe this firsthand experience will help them envision themselves flourishing within our vibrant academic community and embracing the diverse opportunities that await them at MacKillop College. Interviews for both Newman and MacKillop will begin on Thursday, 3 August.

Daniel O’Dell
Year 10 Leader of Pastoral Care

Year 11

At the end of last term, we celebrated the Academic achievements of many, many Year 11 students. As we already knew, we have a gifted group of students, however, what myself and the pastoral team are most proud of is the way Year 11 have shown commitment to their studies, and a desire to try their best at all times. This was shown in the most positive way, with 60 Year 11 students receiving an Outstanding Application Award.

Congratulations to all our Semester 1 Academic Award winners. 

Major Award Winners

Outstanding Achievement Awards

Outstanding Achievement Awards are presented to students who received Excellence Awards in five or more subjects.

Emily Chan
Euan Hoffmann
Emma Westman

Outstanding Application Awards

Outstanding Application Awards are presented to students who receive an Application Award in six or more subjects.

Bruce Smith
Year 11 Leader of Pastoral Care

Year 12

HSC Trial Exams- Start Monday 31 July

The HSC Trials will start next Monday 31 July (Week 3) with the last exam taking place on Monday 14 August (Week 5). The students will be working on a Flexible Timetable which means they are only required to be at school when they have an exam. The JMC Study Centre and the JMC Hub will be available for students to use to study during the day if they would like to study before and after their exams at the College. Students will be required to sign in and out at the JMC Study Centre using the QR Code if staying at the College during the day.

Procedure if Absent for an Exam

If your child is unwell and cannot attend a HSC Trial Examination you will be required to contact the College via phone or email the morning of the exam. An Assessment Variation Form will need to be completed and submitted with supporting documentation (Doctor’s Certificate) to pmac-assessment@lism.catholic.edu.au as soon as possible. You will then be contacted via email regarding the process for your child’s Trial Exam.

Please ensure your child allocates plenty of time to drive safely to school for each exam to alleviate stress and the potential for lateness to an exam.

HSC Trial Timetable 2023

The HSC Study Guide 2023 was released this week which includes all the tips and tricks to help our Year 12 students to do their best in this year’s exams. Click on the link below to access the HSC Study Guide 2023.

HSC Study Guide 2023

Year 12 Graduation Update – Thursday, 9 November 2023

Planning is underway for the Year 12 Graduation which will take place at Panthers on Thursday, 9 November. Please note for your planning the students will be required to arrive at Panthers at 5.00pm to allow for time for arrivals, photos and administration ready for a 6.00pm start.

In the coming weeks, all students and parents will be sent an email with details to purchase tickets for the night. All Year 12 students have been made aware of the limit of three (3) tickets per student (one ticket for themselves and two tickets for their parents). While we understand the disappointment for some of our students about not being able to bring partners to their Year 12 Graduation it is important to point out this is purely based on numbers and the fact MacKillop College has the largest cohort of Year 12 students in Port Macquarie. Panthers simply do not have the room to cater for partners as well. It would not be fair to allow some students to bring partners and not others. There may be an opportunity for blended families to purchase extra tickets for step-parents. All information regarding ticket purchasing will be communicated via email in the coming weeks.

Australian Under 18s Rugby League Competition 

During the July school holidays, two Year 12 students, Tess McWilliams and Angele Field represented NSWCCC at the Australian Under 18’s Rugby League Tournament in Brisbane. This was a wonderful opportunity for the young ladies which required a substantial commitment in terms of regular training in Sydney and a week in Brisbane for the competition while juggling the demands of Year 12. Congratulations to both Tess and Angele.

Tess McWilliams was selected in the Australian Under 18’s Schoolgirls Rugby League Team at the tournament and will now fly to Papua New Guinea in September to represent Australia. This is an amazing achievement for a Year 12 student and we are very proud of Tess.

Tracey Bewicke
Year 12 Leader of Pastoral Care

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

Co-curricular Performing Arts Showcase

Thank you to all students and families who attended and supported our amazing students performing at the annual showcase concert on Thursday night. It was a wonderful evening! More photos and details will be in the following newsletter. In the meantime check Facebook for updates!

Links & Forms

Music Ensemble Sign Up Form 2023

Music Ensemble Shirt Order Form 2023

Music Tuition Request Form 2023

Instrument Rental Agreement 2023

Co-curricular Music Google Classroom

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

Upcoming Events

Year 11 Mass

• Friday 4 August - College Chapel, Period 1, selected Year 11 musicians.

Youth and Family Mass

• Sunday 6 August - St Agnes Parish Church, 4:15pm - 6:15pm, Collective Praise band & Singers.

Feast Day Mass

• Tuesday 15 August - College Hall, Period 1, Collective Praise band & Singers.

Feast Day Concert

• Tuesday 15 August - College Hall, Period 3+4, selected ensembles and soloists to be confirmed.

Youth and Family Mass

• Sunday 20 August - St Agnes Parish Church, 4:15pm - 6:15pm, Collective Praise band & Singers.

Junior Music Recital

• Thursday 24 August - College Theatre, 6:00pm - 7:30pm, selected ensembles and junior soloists from the tuition program.

Year 8 Mass

• Thursday 31 August - St Agnes Parish Church, 4:15pm - 6:15pm, Collective Praise band & Singers.

Robert Denham
Leader of Co-Curricular Music

Sport Update

Year 7 & 8 Sport Term 3

Year 9 & 10 Sport Term 3

MacKillop College Sport Reports

Country Cup Northern State Finals

The team travelled to contest the Northern Finals of the Country Cup. This was an enormous achievement making it to the top 8 schools in NSW. Unfortunately, the games did not go our way losing each game in the final moments by 2 points.

The first game was against Ballina High School where we lost 10 – 12.

The second game was against All Saints’ College, Maitland who were the eventual winners of the day. We unfortunately had a try disallowed and Maitland scored in the last 30 seconds to win 8 – 6.

The third game was against St Joseph’s High School, Aberdeen and once again we were leading up to the final minutes of the game but went down 10 – 8.

The stand-out players on the day were Tobias Rowlatt, Jack Lacey and Riley Garel. Each player stood up and every player did an amazing job with some playing out of position.

It was an amazing effort by the team who trained early Thursday morning for all of term 2. Thank you to the parents/guardians for supporting the team and myself. Special thank you to Dom Buckley and Cooper Lorger who gave up their time each Thursday morning to assist with coaching and cooking bacon and egg rolls for the team. The team were very lucky to have such great role models assisting them.

MVP: Jack Lacey

Glen Littler (Coach)

Bill Turner Girls Area Final – Maitland

On Friday, 21 July our MacKillop Girls Bill Turner Soccer Team travelled to Maitland to contest the Area Final against St Bede's. 

The girls were determined to go one better in the competition than last year and they did. A few late changes to the lineup did not deter the girls - they continued to impress with their strong defence, ability to remain composed and score off the back of set plays. 

The girls went into halftime 2-0 with goals to Claire Morris and Abby Buttsworth which was no easy feat as the opposition had a brilliant goalkeeper. Our wall - Ziva, Daisy, Jasmine, Frieda, Amarlie and Meredith once again proved too strong with the opposition not able to score in the first half. 

Freya, Sophie and Hannah used their impressive footwork to continue to push the ball forward with Abby scoring a goal early in the second half taking the score to 3-0. St Bede's to their credit kept us on our toes scoring a goal not long after. 

The girls were determined to remain in control with Charlotte, Amarlie, Claire and Gracie finding loads of space up front off the back of many attacking raids from Hannah, Sophie and Hannah. Gracie sealed the victory with a goal inside the last 5 minutes. Congratulations to MVPs Abby Buttsworth and Sophie Gallagher who led the girls admirably. 

Congratulations girls, I am so proud of you all - a fantastic team effort. We now play the State Quarter Final on Tuesday 15 August in Coffs Harbour against either Warners Bay or Merewether High School. 

Sincere thanks to Managers Zsofia Rhor and Susie Coster and to Dave Sinclair for driving us to and from Maitland. 

Team: Sophie Gallagher (C), Abby Buttsworth (C), Arliah Morris, Claire Morris, Hannah Gresswell, Freya Briggs, Sophie Gallagher, Frieda Dudfield, Daisy Pees, Ziva Balkin, Jas Lacey, Meredith Davies, Gracie Huxley, Charlotte Taylor, Amarlie Gregory.

Erin Denham (Coach)

NSWCCC Football Knockout 7-9 Girls

The girls were somewhat nervous playing the NSWCCC Football Knockout Quarter Final on home soil against St Peter’s Maitland on Tuesday. With yet again another change to the line up the girls played an entertaining game of football.

We allowed St Peter’s to score in the opening minutes of the game. The girls fought hard to gain possession with Abby Buttsworth equalising not long after. The team calmed down with strong defence paving the way again, clearing out most attacking raids. We went into half-time with a 2-all score line. The game was physically tiring with St Peter’s scoring early in the second half leading 3-2.

With about 8 minutes to go, we made some changes to get fresh legs on and play more attacking Football with Abby jagging a hat trick to take us to 3 all at full-time.

We went into a 5-player penalty shootout and were still level after this with no player from either team missing their shot. This meant we went into sudden death. A huge effort by Goal Keeper Maya Perry who was able to save their second attempt allowing us to take home a 4-3 win. The suspense from the crowd was palpable – the girls continue to amaze me with their composure and team spirit. MVPs - Abby Buttsworth and Maya Perry.

Thank you to Bailey Speechly for coming in to replace Ziva. The girls now play in the NSWCCC Football Semi-Final in Sydney on the 30 August for a spot in the Final the following day.

Thank you to our Officials on the day Susie Coster, Jamie Cartwright, Rodney Dobins, Barry Neals, Ashley Bell, Jarvis Lineham, Blaze Colthorpe, Will Clark, Jack Robb, Lucas Boath, Rocco McCallum and Flynn Daly, to our Maintenance team Ben Manton & Chris Gridley who always go above and beyond and to Maxine Stone, Peter Murphy, Belinda Hadfield and our Year 10 helpers who kept everyone fed.

Finally, thank you to the parents who were able to make it out to support our team.

Erin Denham (Coach)

U16 MacKillop v Regional Friendly Rugby League

With limited competitions available for the U16 Rugby League team this year we organized a friendly match against cross-town rivals St Joseph’s Regional College. The team prepared well with some early morning training sessions and travelled out to St Joseph’s Regional to play.

The team had a great start to the match, jumping to a 10-0 lead after 10 minutes. A strong fast run by Will Oliver split the defence for an early try followed by a towering kick by Cooper Lorger collected by Fletch Irwin for our second try next to the posts. As the half progressed, some fatigue set in and Regional was slowly building into the match. Regional improved their mistakes and we gave away a few penalties which resulted in points against us. The momentum swung quickly and Regional scored directly after the halftime break. Our errors and missed tackles lead to a few more tries resulting in a loss for the team and a final score of 32-10.

All the boys showed great enthusiasm and effort in the training sessions and the match. Special mention to Riley Hollis and Seamus Cummins who played a lot of minutes in the forwards and both showed great competitiveness and toughness during the match. Captain Cooper Lorger again showed his leadership skills, leading the team around the park well with his kicking game while Will Oliver and Jake Morgan were dynamic in attack. Dom Buckley was a terrier in defence and Patrick Field was very strong at fullback in the first half.

All the boys were excellent representatives of MacKillop College. Thank you to parents for getting your son to the morning sessions and thank you to Beau Chegwidden and Jake Queripel for assisting on the day.

MVP: Will Oliver

Warren Lorger (Coach)

Australian Secondary Schools Rugby League – AUSTRALIAN REPRESENTATIVE

Angele Field and Tess McWilliams recently represented the NSW Under 18 Girls Rugby League team at the Australian Under 18 Schoolgirls National Championships held in Redcliffe. The team had a strong start with 3 wins from 3 games so far against VIC, NSWCHS & ACT. They made the semi-final but went down 12-10 in a tight encounter against the QLD team.

Following the conclusion of the Australian Secondary Schools Rugby League 18 Years National Championships Tess was named in the Australian Team to tour PNG. This is such a huge achievement for Tess and is a true testament to not only her talent and skill but to her character. Tess has not long had surgery on a broken collar bone and has worked extremely hard to ensure that she was match fit to compete at such a high level.

Both Angele and Tess are to be commended on pursuing their sporting aspirations in their final year of school – this is no easy feat. You are fine ambassadors for our College, Diocese and State. Congratulation ladies.

NSWCCC Under 18 Netball Selections

On Tuesday, Molly Kirk (Year 12) and Claire Pieren (Year 10) travelled to Sydney this week to trial for the NSWCCC Under 18 Years and Under Girls Netball Team. This is always an extremely difficult trial and both Molly and Claire played exceptionally well with Molly being named in the possible probable’s game. Claire made the NSWCCC 15s Years and Under Team in 2022 and was bottom of age at this trial. For Claire to hold her own against older players speaks volumes about her skill and determination.

The NSWCCC Official that looked after the girls at the trial specifically commented about how lovely and talented Molly and Claire were. Fine ambassadors for MacKillop College – well-done girls.

NSW All Schools Cross Country

Last Friday, four of our students travelled to Sydney to represent NSWCCC at the NSW All Schools Cross Country. The races are combined age groups with over 100 runners in each race. The results listed below are respective of the athletes' age group placing.

Grace Morris - 5th 13 Year Girls

Ingrid Maher - 58th 12 Year Girls

Noah Pociask - 34th 14 Year Boys

Oto Ryan - 24th 13 Year Boys

A great effort by all runners and special congratulations to Grace Morris who will now represent NSW at the National Cross Country Titles. This is a huge achievement Grace – we are so extremely proud of you.

Representative Sport, Upcoming Events and Registration

All registrations for MacKillop College Representative Sport teams are completed by;

1. Logging into the school Moodle page (Chrome browser).
2. Click on the Student Links tab on the left-hand side
3. Click on the Representative Sports registrations link
4. 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.  Sports currently open for registration are;

• Rugby 7s

MacKillop College Events

Lismore Diocesan Events

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 the link below to register for the sports.

NSWCCC & NSW All Schools Events and Registration

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

Registration is through the CSNSW.sport portal. Details on how to register – Guide For Parents – Sport Registrations >>

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

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

Community Sport

Congratulations Claire Pieren!

Claire Pieren has been selected by Netball NSW into the 2023 Emerging Talent Regional Team. The Emerging Talent Program selects 36 athletes from all of NSW forming 3 teams with Metro, First Nations and Regional athletes.

The Emerging Talent teams will train in Sydney with Netball NSW Coaches over the next 3 months and play a NSW Tri-Series Tournament in September. This is an exceptional opportunity for Claire to grow as an emerging athlete in this environment and enhance her netball skills as she leads up to the selection phases for the 2024 NSW U17 State Team trials later this year. Claire was also recently invited to join a tour with the Australian Wanderers. The Netball team will travel to England and France in January 2024 to play.

What an incredible achievement Claire – we are so proud of you and equally excited for the great opportunities that are ahead of you over the coming months.

Well done Evie Hewens!

On Sunday 23rd July Evie Hewens represented the NSW U14s Country Rugby Union team in the City v Country match played at Marcellin Park, Maitland. Evie was selected to play No. 6 / Flanker in the starting team with Country winning convincingly 39-5. This is the first time Country has won this division. It was a great way to end the representative season for this team after months of training and playing. Evie was presented with the best forward for the Country team at a presentation following the match.

Congratulations Evie – what a great season you have had!

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

Canteen Update

To all QKR users please be vigilant when ordering. Cut off time is 8am. Orders placed after 8am are processed for the following day.
Many orders are placed for the wrong day ensuing valuable serving time is lost looking for the order.
If your child is not at school and has ordered online please contact the school to cancel the order.

Monday 31 July
Chris Jourdant

Tuesday 1 August
Jodie Buttsworth

Wednesday 2 August
Clarissa Morris & Peta Clancy

Thursday 3 August
Renae Maher & Lisa Hogan

Friday 4 August
Renae Bullock, Ronel Skea, Rowena Beukers & Kelly Dingle

Monday 7 August
Kate Perkins & Paul Atkins

Tuesday 8 August
Jenny Murray & Julie Tipper

Wednesday 9 August
Roz Brockhurst & Danielle Sen Gupta

Thursday 10 August
Jo Sexton & Chris Jourdant

Friday 11 August
Alli Tomanti, Carolyn Hogan & Leanne Hatherly

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 are to be in by 8.00 am, please.

Please ensure when ordering online that your child year group is correct

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 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 is 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 

Maths Tutorials

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

Room 12 Main College with Elizabeth Robertson

School Term Activities