MacKillop Chronicles 2023 Term 3, Week 10

Friday 22 September, 2023

Little Lighthouse Playgroup

Child Safety Handbook Winter Edition

Primary Matters

Dear Community,

This Sunday, we will hear the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. This story in the Gospel of Matthew is a powerful reminder of the values that underpin our Catholic faith.  In this parable, Jesus tells the story of a landowner who hired labourers throughout the day to work in his vineyard. Some workers were hired early in the morning, others at noon, and some even in the late afternoon. Yet, when it came time to pay their wages, all the workers received the same amount.  Naturally, those who had toiled longer were upset by what they perceived as unfair treatment. This parable serves as a powerful reminder of the values that underpin our faith and how they can be applied to our lives. 

 In such a busy world, where the cost of living is rising and demands on our ability to juggle more than one ball, this parable encourages us to think and reflect deeply not only on our faith but the values we hold deep within us.  How can we embody God's generosity and inclusivity in our daily lives, welcoming all with open hearts? How often do we compare ourselves to others, those perfect lives we see on social media versus the realities that we see in ordinary life? Are we content in our journeys, or is it the social media life of others that we crave for our journey? Or can we find contentment in our unique journey? Do we practice grace and forgiveness in our relationships, even when it feels challenging? It can often be easier to respond as a tantruming child or rebellious teenager, but definitely not as graceful. Mary MacKillop and the children at our school will often say that our mission in life is to never see a need without doing something about it. May this too, ring true for us as we shine the light of Jesus across all that we say and all that we do. 

May you and your family have a very safe and happy couple of weeks as you enjoy your time together and relish in the fact that school lunches, clean uniforms, and homework are not on the agenda.  It has been an absolute pleasure to lead our school community for the last 5 weeks while Mr Cohen has been on leave, and I thank you for your support.  

NAPLAN GROUPS

Beginning in Week 2 of Term 4, we invite Year 2 and Year 4 students to our Early Morning NAPLAN groups.  These groups are run by Mrs Cathy Whitmore, Mrs Chris Shilling, Mr Frank Cohen and Ms Sherylyn Kenney. The opportunity exists for children to become familiar with NAPLAN-style testing and practise their Literacy and Numeracy skills.  If your child is interested, we ask them to meet the teachers at the front door of the Library at 8 am on the day of their group.  This is an optional extra. Please use this Form to register your interest - Early Morning NAPLAN Group Form

MacKillop Gazette

Every year in Term 3, Mrs Catherine Brown encourages the children to enter the MacKillop Writing Competition. This year the stimulus was the image featured below... 

Please click on the link below to view our very own MacKillop Gazette, which features the winning pieces of the 2023 Writing Competition. Thank you to all who entered and to Mrs Brown for facilitating such a wonderful competition. 

Parenting Course

Next term at school, our school counsellor Jade Kremer will be co-facilitating Tuning in to Kids, which is an evidence-based parenting program that has been delivered worldwide. Read more at the official site here: https://tuningintokids.org.au/parents/.  The purpose of the program is to help us learn strategies for supporting (coaching) our children in managing their emotions. It is not too late register. The program will run on Tuesdays from 1-3pm, 5 weeks starting on Tuesday 17 October (week 2). Please register with Karen Fox on 02 4305 6200 or kfox@uniting.org

Social Emotional Learning

This term at MacKillop, students have been engaging in the Second Step program, focusing on the topic of emotion management. The Second Step program equips students with essential techniques for calming their emotions, including the following:

1. Stop—Use your signal
2. Name your feeling
3. Calm down: Breathe, count, use positive self-talk

These valuable skills enable students to effectively manage intense emotions when confronted with academic and social challenges. This, in turn, contributes to their academic success and fosters positive interpersonal relationships.

The Second Step curriculum specifically instructs students on how to regulate strong emotions like anger, disappointment, frustration, and anxiety. For more detailed information, please reach out to your child's teacher and inquire about accessing the Home Links associated with your Parent Second Step login code. These resources provide additional insights and tools for handling intense emotions and underscore their significance. The Home Links feature enjoyable activities that you can engage in with your child to help them identify strong emotions and effectively calm down. We hope that these Home Links will provide you with valuable strategies to use together with your child during moments of distress.

We wish you a safe and joyful holiday, and we hope you make the most of the break before the commencement of term 4.  Miss Owen and Mrs Denneman

NSWPSSA Softball

Congratulations to Aoibhinn (Yr 5) & Mackenzie (Yr 3), who are this week representing Polding at NSWPSSA softball in Newcastle with Mrs Denneman coaching

First Holy Communion 

Over the past five weeks, students have been gathering on a Sunday to complete the sacramental program of First Holy Communion. Brother Shayne, Mr Snelling, Miss Owen, and other teachers and parishioners have volunteered their time to teach the students about how to receive the Host and also why it is such a significant sacrament in our Catholic Church. 

On Sunday, these children from Years 4, 5, 6 and 7 made their First Holy Communion at St. Mary MacKillop of the Cross parish. With a few nerves but with brilliant smiles, the children gathered with their families and friends and received the Eucharist - the Body of Christ, from Father Philip in a beautiful service. The children were also given a special certificate and badge to remember this special day. 

A huge thank you goes to the parents who supported this sacramental program, including bringing your child to weekly classes, Reconciliation and dressing them beautifully for the day.  

Congratulations children, on receiving your First Holy Communion! 

K - 2 Learn to Swim Program

Our students in K - 2 have just completed Week 2 of our Learn to Swim Program for Kinder.  There have been lots of smiling faces and lots of fabulous learning at 5 Star Swim School each day for our lessons. 

The Intensive Swim Program forms an integral part of the PDHPE curriculum and is an essential skill to develop for our children living on the coast.  Thanks to the teachers, students and parents alike for making this happen seamlessly – how good is this weather!

"It was so fun swimming with my friends!" Lachlan, Kindergarten

"I love going on the bus to swimming" Layla, Year 1

"Learning to swim saves you and teaches you how to swim" Evelyn, Year 1

"It has been wonderful to see how much the children's skills have developed over the 2 weeks. The students have worked hard in the pool and often fall asleep on the bus journey home. Well done, everyone!" Mrs Ellmore, Year 1 teacher

K-2 Intensive Swim Program

Principal's Morning Tea and House Pizza Party

Congratulations to all those children who earned a Principal's Award this term. Yesterday, we enjoyed a delicious morning tea and look forward to many more next term.

We also celebrated this Term's winning House; congratulations to the Fitzroy House, who earned themselves a Pizza Party yesterday by making good choices on the playground.

Highly Accomplished Lead Teachers

On Wednesday, Mr Danny Casey and Mrs Natalie Cooper came to MacKillop to acknowledge the wonderful work of Mrs Catherine Whitmore and Mrs Chris Shilling. Both these exceptional leaders were presented with their "Highly Accomplished Lead Teacher" certificates. 

This accreditation recognizes their exceptional expertise, leadership, and innovation in the classroom and reflects their commitment to the growth and success of our students and teachers. The rigorous assessment process they've undergone is a testament to their teaching skills, their positive impact on student learning, and their ability to mentor and guide fellow teachers. It's a mark of distinction that highlights their contributions to the field of education. Congratulations to Mrs Whitmore and Mrs Shilling.  

COMPASS

Please ensure that you familiarise yourself with the permission and payment side of COMPASS over the holidays as this is the only way that permission and payments will now be accepted.

Uniform Policy

In line with our uniform policy, please support your child to return to school with an appropriate haircut. This excludes mullets, skullets and the etching of channels, words or stars into the side of the head. These are not appropriate haircuts for MacKillop.  We also do not support coloured braids in any way. If your child is looking at doing something creative with their hair, please encourage them to have their hair back to its original colour and appropriate style by Day 1, Term 4.  This, too, applies to fingernails.  Fingernails must be unpainted and natural; we do not allow acrylic, gel, SNS or any form of artificial nail in Primary. If your child is looking to buy new sports shoes over the break, please ensure they are predominately white and school-appropriate.  With the weather warming, this is also a timely reminder that all students must wear a hat to play on the Oval or Green Space. All students need to wear the bucket-style school hat; this includes when your child is on an excursion or representing the school at sporting events. The baseball hat is part of the Secondary uniform, not ours. Thank you for supporting your child in wearing the correct uniform. Please ensure that all jackets and jumpers are clearly labelled. The days are warming up, and jackets are being removed; without clear labels, they are heading straight to lost property.

Year 12 Mass and Guard of Honour

Earlier this week Stage 3 students had the lovely opportunity to celebrate Mass and form part of the guard of honour for our graduating Year 12 students. Our students were extremely reverent and active participants throughout, another wonderful opportunity for us to celebrate the K-12 culture we have here at MacKillop.

God Bless

Sherylyn Kenney
Acting Primary Principal

Vacation Care - CatholicCare

Secondary News

From the Secondary Principal

Prayer: For the Holidays - End of Term Prayer

We thank you, Lord, for this term.

For the challenges, the successes, and the mistakes from which we have learnt.

Be with us as we spend our time with family and friends. Give us strength and courage to do what is right; to be witnesses of our faith.

Help us to be a like Jesus these holidays to appreciate what others do for us,to give time and effort to help others, to be peacemakers in our family.

Keep us safe in our activities; give us good rest and good fun.

Bring us back refreshed and ready for a new term.

We thank you for our classmates, teachers, parents and a community that cares for us.

May we always be conscious of you in our lives.

Amen

Learning:

Year 12 Graduation Week

This week, we said a sad farewell to Our Year 12 HSC class of 2023. We are so proud of each of them for their achievements, which are different for each student.

Our Year 12 students have been so respectful and wonderful role models, on how to have a good time where nothing is damaged or anyone hurt. Although still revising for the HSC, last week, they did start to have some thank-you parties with their teachers and some beautiful cards and gifts were given.

Last Thursday, they took Mrs Ferguson completely by surprise by organising a tribute to her. As you can see, blonde wigs will be very hard to find on the Central Coast at present.

On Friday last week, they decided to dress as Aussie icons and again such a day of good fun.

On Monday, 18 September, all Year 12 prepared and rehearsed for their Graduation Mass, Awards Night and Formal. They kept us all amused by swapping uniforms for the day.

Tuesday, 19 September, was their Charity Day. Our students came all dressed up and ready for fun. There was loud music, strange and creative costumes, and a great deal of money raised for their 2 charities. This group were concerned about teenage mental health, and all money raised will go to The Black Dog Institute and EquiEnergy Youth. Thank you to everyone who donated, and if you did not get a chance, feel free to go to their websites and make a donation to these worthwhile charities.

The wonderful aspect of this day is that at 9 am, all of Year 12 go back and willingly clean up any mess they have made. The students raised $1553.50 in just 1.5 hours. Well done!!

Wednesday, 20 September, we celebrated our Year 12 Graduation Mass at 10 am in the Hall, it was wonderful to share this with Year 5 - 11 students, as well as so many Year 12 family members. Following the Mass, we had our moving Guard of Honour, which occurs every year with a lone bagpiper piping out our Year 12 cohort from the Theatre back to the arms of their parents. This also pays homage to Mary MacKillop and her Scottish heritage.

 At 6pm we gathered again with Year 12 and their families for the Awards Night, and we acknowledged their many talents and hard work.

We need to thank Mrs Megan Phillipson, the Year 12 Leader of Pastoral Care and all the Year 12 Pastoral Teachers for their care for all these students for the past 6 years and to all the teachers who have contributed to their learning.

Also, a big thank you to Fr. Philip, Mrs Price and Mr Wallis for all their hard work in making the final Mass so beautiful.

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Connecting Catholic Coasties

Last Friday, 25 MacKillop students gathered at the Shrine of St John Paul II at St Patrick’s parish, East Gosford, for the Term 3 Connecting Catholic Coasties (CCC) event. The CCC gatherings are held once a term and provide opportunities for young people in our Catholic schools on the Central Coast to meet other like-minded people and deepen their faith. 

The afternoon began with some icebreakers and games, and it was a sweet reunion for the staff and students who attended World Youth Day at the beginning of the term. After a chance to catch up and get a group photo, we spent some time in the church.

We were privileged to hear a student testimony from a Year 10 student from St Joseph’s, learn about and participate in Adoration, prayer stations and a decade of the Rosary.

The evening ended with a BBQ dinner, chocolates and lollies before heading back to MacKillop.

Thank you to the youth team at St Patrick’s for hosting, Mr Hyland for the music and our MCC teachers for supporting the students: Sr Jiji, Mr Legge, Ms Goodwin, Ms Gorman and Mrs Tenev.

The next CCC will be the annual Christmas Party – ‘A Very CCC Christmas’, and MCC will be hosting the final event for the year. Watch this space for more details, as we would love to have as many MCC students and staff as possible supporting this event.

High Commendation Assembly:

At the end of Term 1 and Term 3, we have our High Commendation Assemblies, where we acknowledge a student in every class in every year for hard work, dedication and improved results. These awards do not look at where a student is placed in their assessments but at their improvement and effort.

These are usually the first week back in the next term, but as the HSC is in the Hall on the first Friday back, we have had to look for an alternative where we can have this and not disturb the Year 12 exams.

As a result, we will be holding the assembly, to which we warmly welcome all our parents, on Tuesday, 17 October, Week 2, at 9.15 am.

Skill Engineer Awards

The Skill Engineer Awards were held on last Friday night. The Skill Engineer is our workplace provider and works with all schools across the Central Coast and the Hills District in Sydney.

These awards recognise students who perform exceptionally in the industry during their work placement. They also award Host employers who continuously support students throughout the year, giving them industry experience.

 It was a fabulous evening, with our two finalists winning their categories-

• Taalirah G - Business Services
• Patrick E - Hospitality

Additionally, the event had our Music and Entertainment students, Lucus McI-G, Matthew A and Connor W, together with Mr Hayden Fisher performing throughout the event. Everyone who spoke to Mrs Pearce and Mrs Patil on the night spoke in awe of their performances.

Thank you to all the VET teachers who work so hard preparing our students for work placement. This is the 3^rd year in a row we have received awards at this event, and it has only been going for 3 years!

Year 10 Photography and Digital Media

Students from Year 10 Photography and Digital Media have been extending their photography practice by experimenting with long exposure times on the camera and moving a light source/ torch to create light painting photography. So many talented students!

School Holidays:

The Spring holidays commence on Saturday, September 23^rd to Tuesday, October 10^th.

We hope these 2 weeks are highly enjoyable for all our families, and we pray that all our students are kept safe.

Important Dates for T4 Week 1: Monday, 9 October –  Friday, 13 October

• Mon – Spirituality Day / Pupil Free Day
• Tues – Students return
• Wed – HSC commences
• Thurs – Liturgy of Lament
• Fri – Assembly postponed as the Hall is being used for the HSC

A Heads Up:

From the beginning of Term 4, parents will not be able to download and print a hardcopy consent form from COMPASS.  Instead, all parents will have to use COMPASS to both give digital permission and make any payment(s). Please refer to the Notice on COMPASS that has this information and an attachment which instructs you on how to complete these forms digitally.

Staff Spirituality Day:

The first day back for students in Term 4 will be Tuesday, 10 October. On Monday, 9 October, all staff K-12 are attending a Spirituality Day. This day is mandated for all staff in the Diocese to attend each year. Each school organises their own, and we are looking forward to exploring aspects of our faith on this day

MacKillop 20^th Anniversary Cocktail Party:

To celebrate our 20^th Year Anniversary and to allow our community to come together as a K-12 school, a group of our parents have organised a 20^th Anniversary Cocktail Party Celebration.

This is a social event and is for all members of our community, 18 years and over, past and present.

Come along and meet with friends and make new ones. Get ready to dance along to a great local band Steamboat Hollow.

Where: Wyong Leagues Club
When: Saturday 18 November
Time: 7 pm - 11 pm
Dress: Black and White Cocktail

Entertainment and nibbles provided; over 18 event

Tickets are $45 each and on sale now: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/700047720577?aff=oddtdtcreator

New Phone System:

 Our new number is 72562116. Please use this number to contact the College.

Final Word

If you have any questions or concerns always, please contact the College.

Remember to check COMPASS, our website and our Facebook pages for information.

God bless.

Debra Ferguson

Secondary Principal

Mary's Faithful Wardrobe and Mary's Formal Closet

Our amazing PEC (Parent Engagement Coordinator), Lucy Marien, in collaboration with our Parish, have developed a community wardrobe for families to borrow special outfits for their child's sacrament celebrations.

Mrs Marien is also starting a Formal version for our Secondary students looking for a special graduation dress or suit.

We are currently looking for donations to get the clothing library started. During the holidays, we urge the community to go through their wardrobes and consider giving your forgotten good-quality items a new purpose.

For full details, please see the flyers below.

Free Parenting Program

Supporting young people with the transition to Secondary school

Getting to know: Ryan Herbert

Empowering Futures: Apprenticeships & Traineeships

Position Vacancy - Clergy Care Coordinator

COMPASS Sign-in Update

Download the app so you are always up to date with school events.