MacKillop Chronicles Term 3, Week 3

Dear Community,

MacKillop Feast Day

Tomorrow, Friday 8 August, we celebrate our Feast Day with a Mass and a variety of student-led activities.  Our Feast Day is a vital tradition that connects our community to the inspiring legacy of Saint Mary MacKillop, Australia’s first saint and a champion for Catholic education.

This day calls us to remember her commitment to ensuring all children, no matter their background, have access to learning, compassion, and dignity.  It is through these celebrations that we not only honour her values of inclusivity, courage, and service, but also renew our sense of purpose as a Josephite community.  Coming together in prayer and festivity strengthens the bonds between students, staff, and families, inspiring us to follow Mary MacKillop’s example to “never see a need without doing something about it,” and to live with generosity, hope, and justice in our daily lives.  Our Feast Day reminds us that we are part of an enduring story, shaped by faith and service, and encourages us to make a positive difference, just as Mary did for generations before us.

Year 10 into 11 Subject Selection Interviews

Thank you to all the parents and carers who came along on Monday evening to support your children as they embark on the first steps toward their HSC journey.  At MacKillop, we are committed to supporting you and your children in finding the best possible pattern of study for them.  We appreciate that this can be a time of overwhelming decisions, but I’m very confident that the rigorous process we have in place will ensure that your son or daughter follows a path that aligns with their strengths and allows them to exhibit their potential.

HSC Trial Examinations

Our Year 12 cohort commenced their HSC Trials this week, which is an intense examination period that will contribute to their Higher School Certificate.  I have been impressed by the calm and considered approach the students have demonstrated throughout the week.  At MacKillop, we purposefully conduct our Trial Exams under almost identical conditions to those the students will experience in the actual HSC.  This will serve to lessen the nerves and ensure they are well prepared for the formal nature of these examinations. 

I wish all our students well as they continue with exams next week.

God bless,

Paul Lynch | Acting College Principal

This year’s Book Week theme, “Book an Adventure”, is coming to life in our library with some imaginative and colourful displays! Students have been transported into the pages of exciting stories, exploring safari landscapes, diving into the deep sea, setting sail on pirate quests, launching into space missions, and venturing into spooky tales full of magic.

I Spy an Adventure Challenge

We are also hosting an exciting "I Spy an Adventure" display board challenge! Students are invited to explore a vibrant, adventure-themed display filled with hidden items.  The challenge? Spot as many hidden objects as you can—from compasses and cameras to treasure maps! It's been wonderful to see students eagerly engaging with the display and testing their observation skills. A big thank you to all the students who contributed their creativity to our amazing displays.

Check out some highlights from our displays below!

Jacqueline Crowe | K - 12 Teacher Librarian

We launched into Term 3 at full speed, packing an incredible lineup of celebrations and milestones into just one day, and what a day it was! From heartfelt moments to sweet treats, our College was buzzing with joy and community spirit on Friday, 25 July!

Grandparents Day is always a standout, welcoming over 450 cherished guests into our Primary classrooms. They joined in learning activities, shared a beautiful Liturgy, and enjoyed a delightful morning tea with their grandchildren. The warmth and smiles were truly unforgettable.

Adding to the excitement, our Year 6 Parents and Students hosted a Cake Stall and Raffle Fundraiser, offering a delicious array of baked goods that sweetened the day for everyone. Thanks to your generous support, the cakes were sold out, and all raffle prizes have been drawn and winners contacted, setting the stage for a fantastic Year 6 Graduation ahead!  Congratulations to all our raffle prize winners!

A very big THANK YOU to all Year 5 and Year 6 families for their delicious donations to the cake stall. 

We also proudly celebrated the Commissioning of our new College Student Leaders, marking the beginning of their journey in guiding and inspiring our student body.

A huge thank you to the incredible staff, both behind the scenes and front and centre, who made this day such a success. Your dedication and teamwork continue to make our College a vibrant and welcoming place for all.

On Tuesday evening this week, we ran a Parent Engagement Talk online – What will our Primary School Look Like?  Led by Kerry Power, we presented the new primary building designs.  It gave us a look inside the new classrooms and shared learning spaces, as well as the Stage 3 Playground Design project that our years 5 and 6 students have been involved in.

We will be holding more Parent Engagement Talks in the coming weeks, focusing on Literacy and Numeracy for the different stages in Primary.  Stay tuned for more information on this shortly.

Next Thursday, 14 August, our Playgroup will run in the Library Makerspace.  Come along with your preschooler/s and join us as we explore the art of Shaving Cream painting!

I hope to see you there!

Lucy Marien | Parent Engagement Coordinator

It is not too late to help shape a meaningful elective course for our Year 9 students in 2026 and beyond. Even if your children are not in this year group, we appreciate your insight into what will ensure our students are confident, compassionate, and future-ready.

Please complete your responses here: https://forms.office.com/r/LhXy3FyQLR 

Alex Walters | Deputy Head of Student Achievement 7-12

This week, our College community will come together to celebrate our patron saint, St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, on Friday, 8 August. The K-12 community will participate in the celebration of the Eucharist at 10:15 am, followed by a picnic lunch, and conclude the day with activities to encourage house spirit.

Mary MacKillop is not only our patron Saint but Australia’s only saint. Her legacy lives on through the works of the Sisters of Saint Joseph and all the schools across Australia and New Zealand that bear her name.

St Mary of the Cross MacKillop reached out to all those who faced adversity and injustice. She and the sisters always went out to those living on the margins and wanted all to have access to an education.

As we celebrate her feast this Friday, we are reminded by the Sisters of Saint Joseph to ‘walk in Mary’s footsteps…give love to those we encounter each day and be fierce for fair’.

The Sisters of Saint Joseph encourage us all to ‘celebrate Saint Mary MacKillop’s Feast Day as a faithful community who believe being fierce in the face of adversity and fair where there is injustice’ (https://www.marymackilloptoday.org.au/mary-mackillop-feast-day/). A poignant message for all.

Blessings,

Chrystal Price | Deputy Head: Evangelisation and Catechesis

Science Week - Writing Competition

Create an extract of your number 1 bestselling science fiction novel - or is it a blockbuster movie screenplay? It’s only going to be 500 words long, so you need to make it immensely engaging in a very short extract.

The theme is "Decoding the Universe," focusing on exploring the unknown and nature's hidden language.

You might use one of the above images to drive your storyline, or here are some story prompts that might inspire you:

Whispering Equations:  A renegade physicist learns to hear the hidden voice of the universe, revealing a truth humanity was never meant to know.

Songs of the Quantum Forest: Deep in an uncharted jungle, explorers find trees that sing in quantum harmonies, predicting the future.

The Genome of the Stars: A star mapping expedition discovers that constellations are strands in an ancient cosmic DNA.
Symphony of the Silent Void: An astronaut adrift between galaxies begins to hear a haunting music that could guide her home—or into oblivion.

The Fractal Codex: When a mathematician cracks nature’s infinite pattern, reality itself starts to rewrite around her.

The Language of the Luminous Tide:  On a distant ocean world, tides of glowing water whisper a code that could alter the fate of civilisations.

Or, of course, you can go your own way and come up with something else. Just remember the central theme, "Decoding the Universe."

This is not for bots – keep it human “Ink over Algorithms”

When you’ve created your masterpiece, email it to Mrs Lees at cass.lees@dbb.catholic.edu.au. She’s eager and excited to read them and award prizes. Submit it by Friday, 3:20 pm, at the end of Science Week —that’s 15 August. 

Ryan Herbert | Leader of Learning, Science

On Friday, 1 August, our Health & Movement Science (HMS) students were lucky enough to visit the Australian Catholic University (ACU) High Performance Hub in Blacktown, and it was nothing short of AMAZING!

The day was packed with hands-on learning in one of the most advanced sports science labs in the country. We kicked things off with a lecture on energy systems, delivered right in their cutting-edge lab space. This was followed by a series of real-world performance tests, including lactate threshold testing, the intense Wingate bike test, and a full VO2 max test completed by our very own cross-country athlete, Seth G.

Students were actively involved in collecting data for their “research” syllabus dot point, focusing on the physiological responses to exercise. There was also valuable discussion around the validity and reliability of data, made possible by the lab-controlled environment and expert testing staff. The afternoon included reaction time assessments and an impressive biomechanics session, featuring force plates, stride analysis software, and motion-tracking “dots” on the indoor running track to capture stride length, cadence, and more.

This experience not only brought the HMS syllabus to life but also exposed students to real-world applications of sports science. With state-of-the-art facilities and expert guidance, it’s no surprise that ACU High Performance Hub is fully booked out until next September! This was an unforgettable day of learning, testing, and fun.

Nicole Abel | Leader of Learning PDHPE

Camps are an integral part of school life. Away from the daily classroom, teachers and students have an opportunity to engage in new experiences and master new skills.

Listed below are tentative camp dates for 2025. Please consider these dates when booking holidays or other leave requests to take your child/ren out of school. As camps are compulsory school events, we are unable to credit or refund camp costs for non-attendance.

Year 5                 29 October to 31 October 2025

Year 9                 15 - 17 September 2025 // New date

Year 11              3 November to 5 November 2025

Fri 08 Aug - K-12 Feast of St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop

Fri 08 Aug - Pri Zone Athletics

Mon 18 Aug - Sec Pupil Free Day

Tue 19 Aug - Pri Stage 2 Soccer Gala Day

Tue 19 Aug - Sec Year 10 Immunisations

Wed 20 Aug - OC Class Assessment for Year 6 (for MacKillop students)

Thu 21 Aug - OC Class Assessment for Year 6 (for non-MacKillop students)

Fri 22 Aug - Sec Winter Sleepout tbc

Sun 24 Aug - Youth Group & Mass

Mon 25 Aug - Sec - CSBB Jun/Int Basketball

Mon 25 Aug – Fri 29 Aug - K-12 Book Week & Scholastic Book Fair

Tue 26 Aug - K-12 Book Parade

Tue 26 Aug - Sec Year 11 Interviews for Subject Selections

Wed 27 Aug - Sec CSBB Golf

Tue 02 Sep - Sec CSBB Athletics

Thu 04 Sep - Sec CSBB 14/16 AFL

Fri 05 Sep - K-12 Father's Day Liturgy & Breakfast

Mon 08 Sep - Sec CSBB Jun/Int Basketball

Tue 09 Sep - Sec Yr 11 Exams Begin tbc

Thu 11 Sep - Sec - CSBB 14/16 AFL & Rugby 7’s

Mon 15 Sep – Wed 17 Sep - Sec - Year 9 Camp

Mon 15 Sep – Fri 26 Sep - Pri K-2 Swim Program

Tue 16 Sep - Pri Stage 3 Netball Gala Day

Mon 22 Sep - Sec Yr 12 Grad Rehearsals

Tue 23 Sep - Pri Stage 2 Netball Gala Day

Tue 23 Sep - Sec Yr 12 Charity Morning

Wed 24 Sep - Sec Yr 12 Grad Mass & Guard of Honour

Wed 24 Sep - Sec Yr 12 Awards Night

Fri 26 Sep - Sec Yr 9 PASS RAW challenge

Fri 26 Sep - K-12 Last Day of Term 3

For the most up to date information please refer to Compass