Term 2, Week 3, 7th May
Upcoming Events
Week 4, Term 2 | ||
Monday, 10th May | Day 6 | Years 7 - 10 Learning Conversations, College Hall, 4:00pm - 7:30pm Years 11 & 12 Catch up Photos, Lochinvar Centre |
Tuesday, 11th May | Day 7 | Year 10 Immunisations Year 11 Earth Environmental Science Field Study Years 7 & 9 NAPLAN |
Wednesday, 12th May | Day 8 | Duke of Edinburgh Silver expedition - Diamond Head KAIROS Retreat Years 7 & 9 NAPLAN |
Thursday, 13th May | Day 9 | Duke of Edinburgh Silver expedition - Diamond Head KAIROS Retreat Years 7 & 9 NAPLAN |
Friday, 14th May | Day 10 | Duke of Edinburgh Silver expedition - Diamond Head KAIROS Retreat Years 7 & 9 NAPLAN Legal Justice 'Wear white day' |
Monday, 17th May | Day 1 | Years 7 & 9 NAPLAN, All week |
Tuesday, 18th May | Day 2 | |
Wednesday, 19th May | Day 3 | Kirra Pendergast: Safe on Social Parent Talk, Lochinvar Centre, 6:00pm - 7:00pm |
Thursday, 20th May | Day 4 | |
Friay, 21st May | Day 5 |
Principal's Update
STUDENT SUCCESS
Last week many of our amazing and gifted students participated in the regional Da Vinci Decathlon.
The Da Vinci Decathlon is an academic competition designed to challenge and stimulate the minds of students. Students compete in teams of eight across 10 disciplines: engineering, mathematics and chess, code breaking, art and poetry, science, english, ideation, creative producers, cartography and legacy.
MacKillop College teams were outstanding and the College took out both Divisions in the competition which was held at SCAS and where teams competed against the other local high schools.
Congratulations to our two winning teams and to our team coaches Mrs Mandy Palin and Mrs Kylie Ryan.
PARENT PARTNERSHIP
I strongly encourage parents to attend the Safe on Social presentation in the Lochinvar Hall on Wednesday 19th May. This evening provides parents with a better understanding of what young people are doing on social media and how parents can support their young people to be safer users of social media.
A MONTH OF PRAYER TO END THE PANDEMIC
Pope Francis has invited people all over the world to join with him each day, during the month of May to pray The Rosary. Many countries all over the world are far less fortunate than us in Australia, and are still unable to return to normal life or even work. I encourage families to take some time each day to pray a decade of The Rosary. Perhaps even on the drive to work or school. I have included below a quick visual guide to praying the Rosary. One decade is a simple prayer starting with one Our Father, followed by ten Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.
CATH EICHMANN
PRINCIPAL
NAPLAN Online 2021 - Year 7 and 9 only
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a point in time assessment of literacy and numeracy skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life. Students in Years 7 and 9 participate in the annual NAPLAN tests in writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.
Our students will be sitting their NAPLAN Tests at the below times in Weeks 4 and 5 of this term:
NAPLAN Week 1 (Term 2 Week 4) | |||
Time | Tuesday 11/5 Day 7 | Wednesday 12/5 Day 8 | Friday 14/5 Day 10 |
Period 1 | Year 9 Reading (65 min) | Year 9 Writing (42 min) | Catch ups (Room 42) |
Period 2 | Catch ups (Room 42) | ||
Period 3 | Year 7 Reading (65 min) | Year 7 Writing (42 min) | Catch ups (Room 42) |
Period 4 | Catch ups (Room 42) |
NAPLAN Week 2 (Term 2 Week 5) | |||
Time | Tuesday 18/5 Day 2 | Wednesday 19/5 Day 3 | Friday 21/5 Day 5 |
Period 1 | Year 9 Numeracy (65 min) | Year 9 Language Conventions (45 min) | Catch ups (Room 42) |
Period 2 | Year 7 Language Conventions (45 min) | Catch ups (Room 42) | |
Period 3 | Year 7 Numeracy (65 min) | Catch ups (Room 42) | |
Period 4 | Catch ups (Room 42) |
In the above schedules, you will note that there are catch up opportunities available on the Friday of each week to enable students to sit the tests if they are absent due to illness or misadventure.
In the lead up to the test, we would appreciate your support again in ensuring that Year 7 and 9 remember to:
- Completely shut down and restart their device the night before, to allow for any updates to take place.
- Bring their earphones to listen to the Audio aspects of the tests.
- Fully charge their device and potentially bring a charger to top up if needed.
Excessive preparation for NAPLAN Online is not recommended. Students can use the public demonstration site (https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site) to familiarise themselves with the types of questions and tools available in the NAPLAN Online tests.
If you have any questions about NAPLAN Online, please contact Ms Sarah Warby (Leader of Curriculum and NAPLAN Coordinator) via email sarah.warby@lism.catholic.edu.au or by phone via the college office 6583 2632.
SARAH WARBY
LEADER OF CURRICULUM
Evangelisation
TRANSITUS 2021
On Thursday, 29th and Friday, 30th April, 12 Year 7 MacKillop students (nicknamed ‘The Twelve Disciples’) ventured to Yarrahapinni for the CSO Transitus retreat. The 12 students joined with other schools from the southern parts of the Lismore Diocese including 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 theme of the retreat ‘Take Heart, it is I. Do not be afraid’ 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 these difficulties. The retreat was a success complete with campfire songs and plenty of laughter!
Brad Vergano - Religion teacher
MARG GOBIUS
LEADER OF EVANGELISATION
Year 7
CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to the following students who have received a Leader of Pastoral Care Award: Cooper Beukers, Abbie Brennan, Owen Clark, Aiden Finch, Isobel Gavin, Mikayla Haste, Sara Markovic, Charlotte Memmott and Zsofia Rohr.
ELLEN MCKELL
YEAR 7 LEADER OF PASTORAL CARE
Year 10
Students have had a pretty tough couple of weeks but I was very proud to see the guard of honour that many students, particularly those in Year 10, made for Jake. As I said it was difficult for many students and the feelings of loss may be there for a long time for many. I encourage parents to continually check in with their children and get a gauge of how they are travelling. For some it may bring up old memories and they may just need someone to listen to them.
If there are any ongoing concerns or issues please do not hesitate to contact your child's PC teacher or myself.
YEAR 10 MENINGOCOCCAL IMMUNISATION
Each year NSW Health works in partnership with schools to offer the vaccines recommended by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for adolescents as part of the school vaccination program.
North Coast Area Health Service are holding an Immunisation Day at MacKillop College for Year 10 students on Tuesday, 11th May. Please note that originally there were to be two Immunisation Days, 11th 12th May.
All Year 10 students will receive the following vaccine:-
Meningococcal ACWY
A Parent Information Kit has been sent home with Year 10 students for this immunisation. This kit contains a Consent form, information sheet and privacy statement that details how personal information will be collected, stored and utilised.
To consent to the immunisation of your child, parents/guardians are advised to:
- Read all the information provided;
- Complete the Consent form and sign;
- Return the completed Consent form to the Area Health Nurse on Vaccination Day; and
- Ensure that your child eats breakfast on the day of the school immunisation clinic.
Please return the signed consent form to the Area Health Nurse on Immunisation Day. Immunisation will not be administered to students without a signed consent form. Verbal consent is NOT SUFFICIENT.
A Record of Immunisation will be provided to each student immunised. Parents/guardians should ensure that this record is kept for further reference and should not assume that their child has been vaccinated if they do not receive this Record of Immunisation.
Please note that MacKillop College does not keep any records of these immunisations. If you have any questions or concerns please ring Lindsay Lucas (Public Health Unit) on 0429 046 229.
Students are asked to wear their sport uniform on Immunisation Day for ease of access of their immunisation.
GLEN LITTLER
YEAR 10 LEADER OF PASTORAL CARE
Year 11
THANK YOU
A huge thanks to the Year 11 students who were involved last week in our Year 6 Information Evening. It is wonderful to see those students who are willing to give up their time to assist the teachers, in such an important night for our College.
It was also lovely to receive the many comments of praise about the Year 11 students who attended the Guard of Honour at Jake's funeral. The students showed respect and compassion and were a wonderful support to each other at a truly difficult time.
A BIT OF FUN…
After a fun Year 11 PDHPE lesson we decided to take our activities to the year group this week and started our day on Tuesday with a PC ‘Just Dance’ challenge. It was a great way to start the day, shake out the cobwebs, wake a few people up and get some endorphins flowing. Thanks for being involved Year 11 and for making it so much fun.
ADMINISTRATION
Should a student need to leave school during the day, it is essential that they are signed out appropriately. A parent must provide written permission for a student to leave the College during the school day. When leaving the College a student must leave from the front office, even if they have previously handed in their note. This is the same when arriving late. All students must come through the Office. Unfortunately, we have had a few problems where students are not on site but have not signed out properly. This creates a lot of extra stress and work as we spend time ascertaining where the student is and if they are safe.
ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES
Please remind yourself of the existing assessment procedures, and ensure that you are arriving on time for assessment tasks and providing appropriate documentation, when you are sick. Year 11 is a time of learning in many ways, and now is the time to learn all of the procedures and processes that will affect you. Forming good habits in every way such as being prepared, being punctual to school/class, and speaking to the teachers and curriculum team early if you have problems, will ensure you are not adversely affected around assessment time. A reminder that you can find all of this information in the Preliminary Assessment booklet each student was given at the start of the year.
ANDREA HUXLEY
YEAR 11 LEADER OF PASTORAL CARE
Duke of Edinburgh
Last week the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze students went on a practise expedition to Hat Head National Park. Day 1 involved a hike from Hat Head along the coastal track to Kemps Corner and back. This offers some stunning coastal scenery and a chance to get mud on their boots. After lunch and a "pit stop" at the amenities, we explored around Hat Hill before heading to Hungry Gate campground. Camp set up was followed by dinner preparation time, campfire games, cooking and conversations replaced screens and social media as the entertainment for the evening.
Day 2 saw the group explore the 2nd largest coastal dune system in NSW, with dune surfing, rolling down sand hills, spelling out words with bodies and lots of photo opportunities. The recent rains meant an abundance of freshwater pools dotted among the dunes The students ended up very damp, very sandy and with very big smiles on their faces.
A huge thank you to Ms Wong, Mr Geaney and Mr Hughes for their help with running this expedition. Well done also to the students who were outstanding in their approach and attitude.
MR ROB MAHON
SCIENCE TEACHER
Wellbeing
Respect is a core value we espouse, expect and embed in our entire school community: from our classrooms to staff rooms to the playground, from sporting fields to social and community events. The advocacy and practice of respectful treatment and clear boundaries of acceptable behaviour is fundamental towards developing positive relationships.
At MacKillop we establish and maintain schools to be a safe place to ‘be’ and that students have a ‘champion on staff’ they can see if they need extra support; we teach the importance of respectful boundaries in our interrelations that will enable each person to thrive in their learning and relationships and help our young people navigate their behaviour to make positive choices.
Michael Grose, author of Parenting Ideas, reinforces the need for schools to work in partnership with parents to teach our teens about respect, including consent.
NICOLE O'CONNELL
LEADER OF WELLBEING
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
TERM 2 REHEARSAL REMINDERS
Please note the following with regard to rehearsals in term 2…
Saxophone Ensemble - MONDAY MORNING
Junior Percussion Ensemble - TUESDAY MORNING
Senior Percussion Ensemble - THURSDAY MORNING
Senior Band - FRIDAY MORNING
MUSIC AND DANCE SHOWCASE
The music and dance showcase concert is scheduled for Thursday, 15th July (Week 1 Term 3). This is the major performance event for the year. All ensembles will be working hard in Term 2 to prepare repertoire for this concert. It is therefore important for students to commit to rehearsal, practice and attendance throughout Term 2.
SAPSS MARCHING BAND AT YOUR EVENT!
Composed of students from across the St Agnes’ Parish Secondary Schools the Marching Band and Drumline (Port Macquarie Vanguard) can provide the perfect high energy performance for your event!
The Marching Band combines the raw drumming power of the Port Macquarie Vanguard with brass & woodwinds to create an American-style marching band that performed a show featuring music and movement as well as numerous pop and pep band tunes. They are an impressive sight to behold and always a crowd favourite, and look most at home on a large field in front of a lively audience in the mood for some noise and entertainment!
If you would like to enquire about the availability of these ensembles performing at your event please contact the college for more information.
RIDE THE WAVE FESTIVAL Battle of the Bands Competition
There is a wonderful opportunity for local amatuer bands to enter the Ride the Wave Festival Battle of the Bands competition. Prize packs from local music stores and the opportunity to perform a set live at the event available to winners. If you are a solo acoustic musician, DJ or member of a rock band follow the details below to enter the competition. Don’t miss out!
UPCOMING EVENTS
RECONCILIATION MASS
- Week 6 - Thursday, 27th May; Period 1, MPC, Collective & Choir.
COLA CONCERT (Junior)
- Week 7 - Wednesday, 2nd June; Lunch 2 - auditioned and invited ensembles and soloists.
HSC LUNCH CONCERT SENIOR CAMPUS
- Week 8 - Thursday 10th June, Lunch 2, Lochinvar Courtyard - HSC music students.
Please contact Mr Denham with any questions relating to the co-curricular music program at MacKillop College.
ROBERT DENHAM
LEADER OF MUSIC
Canteen
Monday, 10th May
Robyn Hunt, Vanessa Aird and Nicole Galea
Tuesday, 11th May
Deborah Hallen and Amy Hudson
Wednesday, 12th May
Chris Pees, Hahn Le and Judy Ryan
Thursday, 13th May
Amanda Horder and Chris Jourdant
Friday, 14th May
Allie Tamanti, Caroline Horan and Michelle Butt
PLEASE HELP
If you can spare one hour once a month to help at the canteen it would be greatly appreciated, please ring Canteen Co-ordinator Maxine on 0432 179 365. 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 11:00am to 2:00pm or for service from 11:00am till 11:30am or 1:35pm until 2:00pm.
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 8:30AM PLEASE
Please remind your child/children if you have ordered for them, and what their order is. We are currently having our volunteers spend quite a bit of time searching for students who have not collected their lunch orders.
If your child is sick and you have ordered, please phone the canteen (6583 2632) to arrange a credit.
School ties are available to purchase from the canteen for $20.00
Homework Hubs
Homework Hub - Senior Campus
From the Mathematics Vault
Welcome to our weekly Maths Vault!
We will provide a mathematics problem for solving, with the answer published the week after underneath a new problem. Good luck!
Maths Tutorials
Tuesday's and Thursday's
7:45am - 8:30am
Room 12 Main College with Mrs Elizabeth Robertson