Term 1, Week 2, 5th February

Upcoming Events

Principal's Update

WELCOME TO 2021

I would like to extend a warm welcome to all families to our 2021 school year. Special welcome to our new staff, new families and to all Year 7 students as you begin your journey with us here at MacKillop College.

I appreciate the important decision for families of ‘Which high school will we have our child/ren attend?’ and I thank you for your faith in MacKillop College. We look forward to working in partnership with you and your child/ren to ensure MacKillop continues to provide all students with the opportunity to thrive. 

At our beginning of the year assembly last Tuesday the MacKillop College Student Representative Council (SRC) led the College in prayer, centred around our 2021 theme of Commitment. The student leaders focused on our school values of respect, excellence and justice. Then I spoke to students about the importance of committing to their education and their wellbeing; of doing our best and working hard. I challenged the students to commit to the following three things:

• To doing my best and allowing others to learn and do their best.
• To show care and kindness to myself and others.
• To try new things, new ways of doing and new challenges.

I encourage parents to have conversations with your sons and daughters about how they might commit to these and other areas in 2021. 

BEGINNING OF THE YEAR PRAYER 2021

In the Gospel of John, Jesus said  “I came that you may have life, and have it abundantly.” 

(John 10: 9- 10) 

Jesus wants everyone to live their lives to their fullest. This too is the mission of MacKillop College; to enable EVERY student to ACHIEVE the fullness of life. 

Jesus’ commitment to his mission, meant that he was dedicated to ensuring that everyone was treated with great RESPECT, no matter how different they were. He was committed to ensuring that there was JUSTICE for everyone, not just those who were considered more important and he was committed to encouraging all those he spent time with, to be the best people they could be and to strive for EXCELLENCE in everything they took on. It is through our sense of COMMITMENT that we are often able to achieve more than we thought that we could, so our prayer this morning will focus on what commitment might mean for us this year.  

 We pray that every person in our school is able to demonstrate commitment to respect.

We ask that you guide us in how we speak to and act towards the teachers and supporting adults in our school, to the other students within our classes and all the students within the school.

We pray that every person in our school is able to demonstrate commitment to Justice. 

Whether it is within the classroom, within the school or within our wider community, we ask that you guide us to think carefully about how we can respond to the needs of others.

We pray that every person in our school is able to demonstrate commitment to striving for excellence in all that they do. We ask that you guide each person to recognise that by trying their best and working their hardest, they are reaching their own excellence.

HELPING YOUR CHILDREN TRANSITION TO THE START OF A NEW SCHOOL YEAR

For some students the start of a new school year can cause a little bit of angst. Being a little nervous is normal for most students. ‘New’, will for most of us, be an emotional time. Many of our new staff even expressed that they were a little nervous as they started their new job. New teachers and new classes are often the biggest challenge for students as they start a new year. For most people, within a few weeks we have adjusted to the changes, made new friends and the nervousness disappears. In fact such challenges builds our resilience, social skills, adaptability and can enhance our ability to be independent learners. All important life skills beyond our school days. 

I do understand some students and parents would prefer to be in different classes to the ones they have been placed in for 2021. I want to assure you, careful consideration of students learning and pastoral needs are taken into consideration. 

It is not possible for over 1100 students to "choose their classes" and therefore no changes will be made unless serious extenuating circumstances exist. In these cases an appointment must be made after Week 4 for parents and students to meet with the child's Leader of Pastoral Care, Leader of Learning, Additional Needs Coordinator or Assistant Principal. If a student has a medical diagnosis which may impact on their learning or their ability to attend school it is important that the school is working with families and medical professionals to ensure the best possible outcome. 

Meeting to work in partnership will ensure a holistic plan is made to assist students learning and wellbeing moving forward.

Below are some tips from renowned psychologist Judith Locke for starting a new school year. 

• If your child is anxious about starting a new class with unfamiliar people, do listen to them talk about their fears, but normalise them (‘A lot of people feel worried about starting something new’), and then talk about their past strengths in facing tricky things and your confidence that they will cope with this challenge.
• When they come home from their first day at a new activity, keep your questions broad, ‘How was it?’ not, ‘Did you make a friend today?’ 
• Keep your and your child’s expectations realistic. It is highly unlikely that they will form close friendships in the early days of a new school year. How often have you started a new job and come home from your first day to announce, ‘I made my new best friend today’?
  

There are things you can say if your child is not in a class they want to be in;

1. Listen to them. Then reflect back what you hear. ‘You’re upset because your friend is not in your class. That is a completely understandable feeling’. Or ‘Sounds like you are upset because you didn’t get the teacher that you wanted.’
2. Then state the potential benefits of facing this challenge, i.e. making extra, new friends; learning skills to make new acquaintances; being able to focus more on schoolwork in class than talking to their current best friend; learning how to work with a different type of teacher than the one they had last year.
3. Maybe tell them a story about how you learned a lot from a teacher you had who was a bit tougher but taught you a lot, or a time you went somewhere where you didn’t know anyone but learnt how to get on in unfamiliar environments.
4. Let your child know that they can still see their friend/s at lunchtime or at weekends or parties. (https://www.theparentswebsite.com.au/judith-locke-case-parents-influencing-class-placements/)

NEW STAFF 

This year MacKillop College has a number of new staff members joining our great team. It was delightful to hear many of the new members share with the staff that they were very excited to be joining the MacKillop team, either because of the positive things they had heard, or through their own previous experience of MacKillop as a student. 

All new staff are experts in their chosen field and will contribute significantly to the ongoing success of the College. 

Parish News

Year 7

A GREAT START

Congratulations Year 7 for making such a positive start to your first year at MacKillop College! It was great to see everyone smiling and welcoming each other over our first days together. I hope most of the nerves and concerns have disappeared as you’ve become more familiar with your classes, teachers and classrooms. If these smiles are anything to go by, excitement has overcome the nerves! Can you spot yourself in some of our first day photos?

Year 7 2021 First Day

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CONGRATULATIONS

Competition was fierce at our trivia activity for Year 7 on Monday. Well done to 7 Macquarie 2 who were victorious. It’s good to know who the ‘go to’ people for trivia are! 7M2 will celebrate their achievement with a treat for lunch. Bon appetite!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Next Monday students will hear about the importance of staying safe and protecting their privacy and themselves on social media. Kirra Pendergast from Safe on Social Media, will present valuable information for students on group chats, emotional worth, social inclusion and isolation.

Ellen McKell

Year 7 Leader of Pastoral Care 

Year 8

Welcome back to all students and families for the 2021 school year.

Our focus for Year 8 2021 is: #weConnect - Find happiness in making others happy

It is hoped that students will embrace this theme throughout the year, placing themselves in the footsteps of others and applying the "Golden Rule" of treating others the way they would like to be treated. 

Already this term there are many community events in which to participate and we encourage you to make a note of a few upcoming dates: 

• Safe on Social, guest speaker Kirra Pendagast - Monday, 8th February, period 2 (week 3)
• Inaugural Mass - Wednesday 10th February (week 3)
• Years 7-10 Swimming Carnival - Thursday 18th February (week 4)
• Stoney Park Fun Day - Wednesday 24th February (week 5)
• Year 8 Family Get Together Breakfast - Thursday 25th February (week 5)
• Trivia afternoon for Year 7 and 8 students - Friday 5th March (week 6)

We look forward to working with you as your student navigates all that Year 8 has to offer. 

PLANNING AHEAD - SWIMWEAR

Please note with both our upcoming Swimming Carnival and Stoney Park Fun Day, I refer you to the Code of Presentation (page 14 of the diary) which advises:

Swimwear

Swimwear must be suitable for physical activity. Students must wear a rash shirt and shorts or board shorts for all swimming and water activities. Swimwear designed for competitive activity is permitted at the College swimming carnival.

I am hopeful the advance notice will allow for planning of this attire.

PC AND SCHOOL DIARIES

Students have been led through changes to operating procedures in terms of presentation and use of technology. A point to note is the school policy of not having phones turned on from student’s arrival at school until the end of the school day. There is a multitude of information in the beginning pages of the student’s diary. All students have been asked to have page 19 of the school diary signed by caregivers in the coming days, acknowledging support of these policies. 

The school diary is one of our key methods of communication and diaries are to be signed on a weekly basis by caregivers. Teachers and students will use the school diary to record tasks, reminders and important information. Caregivers are also encouraged to use the diary as a way of reciprocating this communication. 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 myself at any time. 

INTRODUCING THE YEAR 8 PC TEAM

8F1        Kate Cowan                       kate.cowan@lism.catholic.edu.au;

               Amy Ryals                         amy.ryals@lism.catholic.edu.au 

8F2        David Pugh                        david.pugh@lism.catholic.edu.au

8I1         Danny Murphy                   daniel.murphy@lism.catholic.edu.au

8I2         Alexa Harvey                     alexa.harvey@lism.catholic.edu.au

8M1       Tess Minett                        theresa.herbert@lism.catholic.edu.au

8M2       Phil Magick                        phillip.magick@lism.catholic.edu.au

8O1       Greg Finney                      greg.finney@lism.catholic.edu.au

8O2       Rochelle Fineanganofo     roche.fine@lism.catholic.edu.au

8O3       Col Coehlo                        colin.coelho@lism.catholic.edu.au

Bronwyn Avery 
Year 8 Leader of Pastoral Care 

Virtual Reality Science

These Year 8 science students kicked off their school year with a virtual reality tour through the human body.
These headsets immerse the wearer in a 3D virtual environment (either photographs or videos) where there are things to observe wherever they turn their head.
Students who are wearing the headsets have to stay seated as they have a tendency to get dizzy and fall over otherwise!
The use of virtual reality technology is one example of how technologies are changing the ways that students can engage with course content at MacKillop.

Inside the human body

Year 9

Welcome to the 2021 school year.

We commence 2021 with a focus theme for Year 8 of #weExplore.

Supporting this theme appears a single quotation from St Mary of the Cross MacKillop:

Thankfulness or gratitude is a life forming and life changing attitude. It is something that we can carry with us, regardless of the circumstances.

In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. The effects of adopting an attitude of gratitude (thankfulness) are deep and lasting.

Gratitude boosts our ratio by helping us experience more positive emotions such as optimism, enthusiasm, love, joy, and happiness, while protecting us from the destructive emotions of envy, greed, bitterness, and resentment. Gratitude helps improve self-esteem and makes you aware of the good other people do for you.

Three simple and effective ways to practice gratitude might be:

• notice good things, look for them, appreciate them;
• savour, absorb, and really pay attention to those good things; and
• express your gratitude to yourself, write it down, or thank someone.

St Ignatius of Loyola knew these benefits and practiced thankfulness/gratitude long before positive psychology proved them empirically. In developing a way of prayer call the Examen, St Ignatius specifically focused on a Gratitude Examen. Below is a link to a Flip book for practicing the Gratitude Examen.

Gratitude Examen Flipbook

I will be exploring this with my Year 9 RE class throughout the year.

My own family practice is to commence prayer at dinner time with an expression of gratitude. Each recognises and states aloud something in their life that day for which they are grateful.

UNIFORM AND GROOMING

I have been impressed with the overall approach from Year 9 students to uniform and grooming. Well done to all.

At this time, there is only one area where compliance to the code obviously needs to be addressed. Many of our girls are wearing sport shorts that are not to mid-thigh. As the shorts are too short, the only remedy appears to be to purchase new shorts.

CODE OF PRESENTATION POLICY

All students, and their parent(s)/caregiver(s), are asked to read the Code of Behaviour, Code of Presentation, Code for Use of Digital Technologies and Assessment Policy, appearing in the student diary. Once read, these must be signed as agreed on page 19 of the diary. It is hoped that this task will be completed by all students and their parent(s)/caregiver(s) by Monday, 8 February.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

As a Catholic Christian Community we value service. All students are encouraged to complete at least 10 hours of community service each semester. Students achieving this minimum expectation will gain a Community Service Award. A detailed outline of some of the opportunities and options for community service appears on page 20 of the student diary. Parents and students may use page 21 of the student diary to record hours of community service.

RECOGNITION OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

The newsletter is potentially a great place to recognise student achievement. Our students, your sons and daughters, are involved in a vast array of pursuits outside of the College. Many are achieving personal bests, gaining awards or competing successfully in their chosen activity/sport. Please take the opportunity to send me an email informing me of the achievement(s) of your son/daughter. I will then endeavour to give recognition of this achievement in the very next newsletter.

God bless

Peter Murphy
Year 9 Leader of Pastoral Care

Year 10

Welcome back!

For some students this will be their last year at MacKillop College and for others it is just another step in their education journey. It is important with that in mind that we take a strong mindset that we are all here for the next four terms and we need to make the most of that time and the resources available to us.

This week it is obvious that there has been some real growth in maturity from the Year 10 students which is fantastic to see. It was also so good to see all of the Year 10 students who gave up two days of their holidays to come back and support the new students and our Year 7 students. 

I look forward to seeing Year 10 step out of their comfort zone and taking some steps to improve themselves as individuals and develop a clear idea of who they want to be as a person.

The process for students each morning is to bring the following into Pastoral Care: 

• diary;
• hat;
• pencil case; and
• iPad - fully charged.

Please assist us by ensuring your child has this each morning. It sets students up for the day and if they forget these things we can assist them in getting more organised so that they are prepared.

Year 10 theme:  #weEngage

Our Mary MacKillop theme - How truly wonderful are God’s ways.

There is a list of whole school events in the upcoming events section of this newsletter but below are some key dates for Year 10 this term:

Year 10 information night - 16^th February

Swimming Carnival - 18^th February

Stoney Aqua Park day - 26^th February 

Retreat and activities - 22^nd - 26^th March  

We have a wonderful Pastoral Care team who will continue to guide your child through their high school journey. If you have any questions or concerns/queries, please do not hesitate to email or phone them so that we can all work together to make school a positive environment for everyone:

10F1          Tracey Bewicke              tracey.bewicke@lism.catholic.edu.au

10F2          Michelle Marino               michelle.marino@lism.catholic.edu.au

                    Bruce Smith                    bruce.smith@lism.catholic.edu.au

10I1             Joanne Pilgrim                jo.pilgrim@lism.catholic.edu.au

                     Stephanie Wong             stephanie.wong@lism.catholic.edu.au

10I2             Tahnee Johnston            tahnee.johnston@lism.catholic.edu.au

                      Courtney Charge             courtney.charge@lism.catholic.edu.au

10I3              Elizabeth Robertson        elizabeth.robertson@lism.catholic.edu.au

10M1            Adam O’Brien                  adam.obrien@lism.catholic.edu.au

10M2           Brent Lowrey                   brent.lowrey@lism.catholic.edu.au

10O1             Megan Verdon                megan.verdon@lism.catholic.edu.au

10O2             Dave Sinclair                   david.sinclair@lism.catholic.edu.au

                       Susan Eichorn                susan.eichorn@lism.catholic.edu.au

I am also available if you need assistance - glen.littler@lism.catholic.edu.au

As I said at the end of last year I am really look forward to working in partnership with parents/guardians and PC teachers to guide Year 10 through this year.

Glen Littler
Year 10 Leader of Pastoral Care

Year 11

A huge welcome to Year 11 and their families as they begin the next stage of their journey. Year 11 have had a successful week with everybody settling in quite well. Already students are showing initiative, maturity and great communication skills in handling all that has been asked of them.

I thank the families for attending the #weThrive interviews. They were a great way to start the year and strengthen the relationship between the College and our families. The next two years will be important for the students and by working together we can support them to experience fulfilment, success and happiness.

I would like to remind families of the Information Night next Monday night. This is a compulsory evening that has been designed so that all students and families can begin the senior years fully informed of the academic processes and practices as well as Pastoral Care strategies and support available at MacKillop.

I am very excited to be working with the students of Year 11 and their families. 

Coming up for Year 11:

Senior Swimming Carnival - Week 4 Wednesday, 17th February 

Your Choicez Retreat (David and Katie Kobler) - Week 6, Monday, 1st March 

Year 11 Fun

Andrea Huxley

Year 11 Leader of Pastoral Care 

Year 12

Well, it is great to be back!  Not so sure the students are fully on board with this statement yet, but I personally missed my cohort, and have thoroughly enjoyed the last couple of days seeing everyone again and getting back into the classroom.

Last Friday was an important Pastoral Day as we held our first liturgy in the school chapel and introduced our themes for the year:

-    Mary MacKillop's quote "Be Calm and Full of Hope", which will be paramount in guiding us through the stressful times.

-    #weThrive focus of #weLead, an important responsibility for the most senior students in the school.

-    Our year group's primary goal of teamwork, working together, supporting each other to achieve a common outcome.

During the day I asked the students to start thinking about who they wanted to become and where they wanted to go.  Many conversations and presentations were had around trying to set a target in order to focus their efforts through the year.  A target that will give them the best chance to springboard into life after school when they can go where they want to go and develop into who they wish to become.  Big things to think about!!

The other thing I asked them to do as part of our team was to work smarter not harder, to look at things that would help them increase their productivity.  Through sharing what I had done I challenged them to consider what they could do to get more done without upsetting their work life balance.

The afternoon was a fun team building activity - the Amazing Race.  The students had to do six different activities which required them to work as a team.  Each activity was run by our awesome PC team. Students had to build a pyramid, create a spaghetti tower, make a human pyramid, play dare Jenga, navigate blindfolded through obstacles and write a PC poem.  It's nice to see everyone working together and having a bit of fun.

On Monday, the curriculum day, organised by Mr Adam Kelly, was a very beneficial time with English lectures run in the morning and sessions following that centred on study techniques and workshops.  Thank you Mr Adam Kelly and Miss Clare Hayes for preparing and running these valuable sessions for Year 12.

Many teachers contributed throughout the day whether it was organising the day, presenting or leading the workshops - my wholehearted thank you goes to them for their time during an extremely important few days where time is extremely precious.  Big thank you also to the SRC who ran our Liturgy and the BBQ boys who turned up in matching aprons for their first barbeque shift!  Well done and thank you.

Thank you also to all the parents who could make the BBQ breakfast, it is wonderful that we work together in partnership to support our young men and women.  

It truly will be a big year that will go at a snail's pace at times and then be over before you know it!  Try to enjoy each other, it's a tough year but a rewarding one.  Myself, the year 12 PC team and your child's subject teachers are all here if you need us.

Have a great weekend.

Lisa Kable
Year 12 Leader of Pastoral Care 

Our 2021 HSC students

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Wellbeing

A new school year offers a fresh start for all students. Having hope for a good year is vital to the wellbeing of our students. Hope means we are realistic and optimistic about the future, believing in our actions and feeling confident things will turn out well. 

Every student was invited to consider “What will success look like for me in 2021?” and urged to make a commitment so their hopes become their reality. 

Year 12 - Delved deep to articulate their target for their HSC year and shared this with their PC group. Saying our goals out loud compels us to be clear about what we want to achieve and accountable.

Furthermore, each student anticipated the obstacles that may present and could hinder them from achieving their target. Identifying the likely obstacles then allows students to plan around these challenges. So “If … (obstacle happens) ...Then I will … (planned action)”

Planning our choices around challenges helps us stay on track towards meeting our targets.

The Year 12 PC team is committed to supporting each student towards personal success and we endeavour to offer further tools to our students to support them in dealing with obstacles and implementing plans as they work towards their target.

Year 11 - Listened to sage advice about “Setting up to Thrive in Year 11” passed on from former Year 12 students. In essence their tips:

Tip 1

Keep a healthy mind, heart and body.

Adopt a growth mindset believing we can learn anything. Maintain the activities that make us genuinely happy for our own self-care. Maintain our physical health - sleep, nutrition and exercise. “When we feel good, we are doing good” and “when are doing good we are feeling good”

Tip 2

Play to your strengths.

Once we know our top five character strengths we can apply these in our pathways to a quality life. Rather than worry about what we can’t do (yet), action what we can do in a new context. Year 11 discovered their top five strengths by taking a survey. Parents can also discover their top 5 strengths by taking the free VIA Institute Character Survey 

Tip 3

Seek support

We are not expected to know everything in a new context so it is important to ask if uncertain, unclear or uncomfortable. The Year 11 PC Team is committed to ensuring our students transition into senior school studies smoothly and happily.

Year 7

MacKillop College has a strengths-based approach to learning. Year 7 were introduced to the value of discovering their top five character strengths by taking the student VIA Character SURVEY. We ask students learn about their strengths so they can: develop what they are already good at – to feel good; work with others – use each other’s strengths - to do things well; and, learn ways to use their strengths at school and in life - to thrive.

Parents can also discover their top 5 strengths by taking the free VIA Institute Character Survey 

Years 8, 9 and 10

In PC groups students were invited to think about:

 2 things I want to get better at

 0 thing they want to do less of 

 2 things they want to learn

 1 thing they want to try”

AND articulate their commitment to these goals.

Student wellbeing as people and as learners is a priority at MacKillop College. Our Leaders of Pastoral Care and PC Teachers welcome a discussion about matters impacting wellbeing and commit to working with their students to ensure 2021 is a better year.

I encourage every family to discover what their child’s hope is for 2021 so that together we can encourage them to persevere in their commitment and find ways to help them achieve their goals. 

INTERNET SAFETY DAY is Tuesday 9th February

The eSafety Commissioner is hosting Webinars for parents and carers at no cost. These live webinars explore the latest research and they are a great way to learn how you can help your child develop the skills to be safer online. 

All sessions are delivered by eSafety's expert education and training team.

eSafety's parent guide to cyberbullying and online drama

This Safer Internet Day 2021 webinar will look at how parents and carers can support young people to have safe and respectful online relationships and what to do if things go wrong.

It will cover:

• starting conversations with your child about their online friendships and positive ways to deal with changing relationships
• understanding the rights, laws and community expectations that govern social media use
• where to seek help if your child is involved in a cyberbullying incident.

The webinar will include case studies, research and targeted advice so you can support the young people in your life to have safe, enjoyable online experiences.

REGISTER NOW

Dates (Australian Eastern Daylight Time):

Tuesday 9 February - 7.30 to 8.30 pm

Wednesday 10 February -  12.30 to 1.30 pm

Wednesday 10 February - 7.30 to 8.30 pm

Monday 15 February - 12.30 to 1.30 pm

Monday 22 March - 12.30 to 1.30 pm

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

The role of the Co-curricular Music Program at MacKillop College is not only to provide musical enrichment to students but to provide a service to the parish and to the community. Ensembles participate in local festivals and events, provide music for Mass, attend workshops, perform at College assemblies and participate in band tours and competitions both nationally and internationally. Through these experiences we hope to nurture a sense of camaraderie, teamwork, community, cultural and spiritual service and a pure love of making and sharing music with others. 

The music staff at MacKillop are excited to offer an extensive ensemble program. There are many proven benefits of learning a musical instrument relating to brain development. Playing music within an ensemble setting builds upon such benefits and reinforces social interaction, teamwork, discipline and goal setting.  Furthermore, it is imperative that students understand the importance of their ensemble membership. Ensemble members are expected to regularly and punctually attend rehearsals, participate positively and respectfully, understand their role as part of a team and participate to the best of their ability in performances. In order to maintain the positive growth of the music ensemble program at MacKillop College students are asked to adhere to the expectations provided below.

Please click here for Music Ensemble Information. 

Music Tuition Program
Many aspiring music students of today often find “DIY” musical instrument teaching resources through online courses, apps and youtube courses. Whilst such technology is a good aid for learning, research states that the best way to learn a musical instrument is through individual tuition from an expert teacher. Furthermore, the stage 6 music curriculum requires students to perform for assessment on an instrument of their choice. It is therefore necessary for schools with an interest in music excellence to provide opportunities for students to learn an instrument. As part of the MacKillop College Co-curricular Music Program students are provided with the opportunity to arrange private instrumental tuition directly with tutors at their homes or studios or at school in breaks or during class time.

Students wishing to join the Music tuition program are invited to contact the Co-curricular Music Coordinator by email providing the following information:
 - Parent and student contact details;
 - The instrument that you would like to learn ;
 - The preferred lesson time e.g before school, during class time or after school.

The Co-curricular Music Coordinator will then contact a suitable tutor on your behalf to check availability. The tutor will then call you directly to confirm and arrange a suitable lesson time.

Instrument Rental

A wide range of band instruments are available for hire including trumpet, trombone, clarinet, flute, saxophone, violin, guitar and bass guitar. The cost for instrument hire is $70 a term. (Instruments can be rented to own upon request. This rental period is negotiable and will vary depending on the value of the instrument). These fees are invoiced to subject & elective statements each Term. As these fees are considered ‘extra-curricular’ this amount must be paid by Week 6 of each Term and must not at any time run into arrears.  Please advise the College if your method of payment is via Bpay so that it can be matched accordingly. The first term of rental is free to allow students time to “settle” with the instrument.

The College will be responsible for minor repairs. Accessories such as reeds, valve oil and strings will be the student’s responsibility.

Co-curricular Music Google Classroom

All members of the co-curricular music ensemble program are required to sign up to the Google Classroom that will provide important information throughout the year. It is also possible for parents to sign up to this classroom providing you have google accounts. If you would like access to this classroom please follow the link below and use the code provided to sign up.

Google Classroom Link

Google Classroom Code: q6wj4dy

SAPSS Ensembles News

Marching Band, Colour Guard and Drumline Rehearsals will take place at MacKillop College this year every Wednesday afternoon from 3:30pm - 5:30pm. Rehearsals for Drumline and Colour Guard started on Wednesday this week (February 3rd). The focus of rehearsals over the coming weeks will be on preparing for the ANZAC March in April.

Year 7 students (and new students) wishing to join the marching band are encouraged  to express their interest at concert band rehearsal or via email to Mr Denham.

Please contact Mr Denham with any questions relating to the co-curricular music program at MacKillop College or visit the college website and click on the Creative Arts tab.

Robert Denham
Leader of Co-Curricular Music

Sport News

TERM 1 SPORT 2021

Welcome back to Sport at MacKillop College for 2021.

Please refer to the newsletter each week for the most up to date information regarding sport. Your child will receive information via the morning notices regarding how to sign up for representative sports, training schedules and excursion information.

Families are reminded should your child not be able to participate in sport due to injury or illness a note is required. If the condition is ongoing documentation from a Doctor or Physiotherapist is required.

SPORT TRAINEE

Welcome to Brooke Higham, our sport trainee for 2021. Brooke loves getting involved in a variety of sports especially Netball and Cricket. Brooke will be assisting staff and students in both school sport and representative sport for 2021 and will be a fantastic asset to our College.

Please click on the following link for Term 1, Year 7 - 10 sport information.

REPRESENTATIVE SPORT

HOW TO REGISTER FOR A MACKILLOP COLEGE SPORT TEAM

In the past students have signed up to trial for a sport by writing their name on a paper list at the sports notice board. As of now all Registrations for MacKillop College sport teams will be completed by students by 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.

Sports currently open for registration are:

• Netball
• Tennis
• Open Basketball
• Triathlon

Click on this link to register  http://moodle.pmaclism.catholic.edu.au/course/view.php?id=650

LISMORE DIOCESAN REGISTRATIONS

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.

• Diocesan Individual Touch Selection Trials – Coffs Harbour 2^nd March
• 400m freestyle event to be swam at Diocesan Swimming – Due 24^th March
• Diocesan Open’s and Under 15s Rugby League Trials – Lismore 8^th and 9^th March
• Diocesan Open’s Football (Soccer) Girls and Boys – Lismore 8^th and 9^th March

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

http://sport.lism.catholic.edu.au/registration

NSWCCC Sport Registrations 2021 for pathway sports open on 1 February.

Registrations are via the CSNSW.sport portal. For instructions on how to register go to –

Guide For Parents – Sport Registrations >>

Term One Individual Nominations Sport Registrations

• Cricket – 19s Boys -  9 & 10 February – Close 3 February
• Cricket -  15 Years Girls - 15 February – Close 10 February
• Softball – Boys & Girls - 22 February – Close 12 February
• Tennis -  Boys & Girls - 1 March – Close 22 February
• Cricket – U16 Boys – 1 March – Close 18 February
• Baseball – Boys – 3 March – Close 26 February
• Golf – Boys & Girls – 8 March – Close 25 February
• Volleyball – Boys & Girls – 10 March  - Close 5 March
• Water Polo – Boys & Girls – 15 March – Close 11 March
• Hockey – Open Boys & Girls, 16s Girls – 22 March – Close 15 March
• Diving – Boys & Girls – 29 March – Close 19 March

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/

UPCOMING 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

Canteen

Welcome back to 2021 Canteen!

Monday 8th February
Vanessa Aird,  Robyn Hunt,  Nicole Galea

Tuesday 9th February
Debs Hallan, Nicole Oliver, Amy Hudson

Wednesday 10th February
HELP PLEASE

Thursday 11th February
Jo Sexton, Amanda Horder, Chris Jourdant

Friday 12th February
Mel Collins, Caroline Horam,  Allie Tamantito

The canteen is desperately seeking volunteers. Please ensure if you are volunteering you have supplied your volunteer Working With Children Check to the front office. 

If you would like to help please follow the link below or ring Maxine on  0432 179 365.  Help is needed from 11am to 2pm or for service from 11am till 11.30am or 1.35pm till 2pm.

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 put in at the canteen.

3. Download the QKR app and order on line. 

ALL ORDERS TO BE IN BY 9AM

Homework Hub - Junior Campus

Homework Hub - Senior Campus

JMC Learning Hub

Monday-Thursday 3.10pm-5.00pm