MacKillop Chronicles Term 1, Week 2

Thursday 15 February, 2024

Meet the New MCC Leadership Team

Welcome Mass Sunday 18 February 5pm

Primary Matters

SUNDAY  

1^st Sunday of LENT

Gospel Acclamation: 

Matthew 4:4 “No one lives on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Dear Parents and Carers,

Message from the Principal

A significant part of belonging to a community like MacKillop is the ability to see the development of young people from Kindergarten to Year 12.  The last Year 6 class I taught will this week begin their journey toward graduation. On Thursday, I had the great pleasure of attending the Senior Mass and Luncheon with our Stage 6 students, many of whom I have known for most of their school lives. I am reminded of the importance of relationship and accompaniment on life’s journey, and I feel very blessed to be present as they consider what life will be like beyond MCC.

I was also extremely proud of our Year 6 Leaders at their grade Mass. Their behaviour was reverent and respectful and they displayed a willingness to embrace their leadership roles.

This week begins a most sacred time for Catholics as we begin the journey toward Easter. Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, and over the next six weeks, our hearts and classrooms will be filled with the language of our faith. Sin means to engage in activities that turn us away from God.  Instead, we are encouraged to be intentional in our behaviour that is like Jesus. We are also encouraged to forgive those who may have offended us.

Fast means to abstain of forego things we enjoy. When we Fast, we think about the sacrifice Jesus made to bring God’s Kingdom to earth. Adults are encouraged to Fast if they are able on Ash Wednesday and to forego meat on Fridays during Lent. Fish and other seafood are a popular choice during Lent. 

Almsgiving is all about charity, we think consciously about the coins we give and who they are supporting. We are also encouraged to speak the words of justice in advocacy for those affected by poverty and war. Spending more time in Prayer during Lent encourages Catholics to focus on the meaning of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, which will be revealed during the events of Holy Week and the Easter Triduum. 

I ask you to consider adding the language of Lent to your home as we journey toward Easter.

Ash Wednesday and Shrove Tuesday

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Parent Volunteers

We want to extend our sincere gratitude to the wonderful Primary school parents who volunteered to help and serve pikelets to all our Primary students.  Parent Volunteers are invaluable to our community, and this certainly contributed to making Shrove Tuesday a delightful experience for our students. 

Kindergarten Dismissal

Next week (Week 3), Kindergarten will join the rest of the Primary school at 3.05 pm dismissal. Mrs Shilling and the Kindergarten teachers have taken time to develop the students’ resilience in leaving the school safely. Please encourage your children to meet you in a similar spot so they can find you amid a much larger group of children.

Please remember that children and cars are a dangerous mix and that Kiss and Drop is a place to be extra careful as children are exiting and entering vehicles.

Please consider the positioning of your children and their bags during this time so that their movement makes it easy for them to manage.

As you are waiting in line, please be patient and refrain from overtaking cars that are in front of you.

Thank you for your consideration.

PBL Focus for Learning

Respecting our environment is one of our school rules at MacKillop! As a community, we are called to:

• Keep our school clean
• Use equipment responsibly
• Care for our surroundings

As part of our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) focus, our students will be reminded to respect our environment. The Colour House Leaders will lead the Primary community in caring for our common space by first encouraging those around them to put their rubbish in a bin. Secondly, they will begin an initiative called ‘Cleanup Crew’, which involves students collecting a pair of gloves and a bag and dedicating part of their playtime to cleaning up the playground.  A famous quote from Mary MacKillop is, “Never see a need without doing something about it.”  This will be an opportunity for our students to think about their own behaviour in relation to the environment and to allow students to accept responsibility for the spaces and equipment they share. Clean-up Australia Day is always scheduled for the first Sunday in March, so our commitment will echo the work of the broader community. You may want to consider a common space that your family would like to beautify over the coming weeks.

Sacraments

Students who are in Year 4 and above will begin their preparation for the Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Holy Communion in February.

Information letters from the St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop Parish has gone home with Year 4 students.  If you would like to enrol your child in the Sacramental Program, please contact the Parish Office.

Parent Information Session: Tuesday, 13 February at 7 pm in the Parish Church

Please contact Kim in the Parish Office, 8379 1740 (Tuesday-Friday) if you have further questions.

Beginning of School Year Welcome Mass

You are invited to attend our Welcome Mass for 2024 on Sunday, 18 February, at 5 pm in the St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop Church.  This Mass is an opportunity to gather as a community of faith to give thanks for the gift of each other and to welcome new families to our community.

Kindergarten students will be presented with a MacKillop bear, and Year 7 students will receive an MCC Logo Keyring for their locker.

We will also take this opportunity to commission our new College Principal, Mrs. Tanya Appleby. College Parliament, SRC and Primary School Leaders will have an active role in the Mass.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Inside the Classroom

This week, 1 Wattle have been working together on skip counting and looking at tens and ones, using colourful paddle pop sticks and counters to create groups and whiteboards to tally their results. Thank you, Mrs Smith and 1W for sharing your learning with us.

Enjoy your weekend,

Kerry Power

Acting Primary Principal

Primary Events

Little Lighthouse Playgroup

The Resilience Project

Secondary News

Dear Community,

The Importance of Parent Engagement

Parent engagement in schools is one of those areas that we all know is important, but too often, we skirt around it and kind of hope that it will happen as a matter of course.  

Unfortunately, we see that parent involvement in their child’s education can drop off dramatically when they go to high school, and this is a trend that we hope to reverse at MacKillop.  

I appreciate that your son or daughter, on entering high school, is gradually growing in maturity and looking to experience increasing independence. Despite the fact that their outward signs might suggest they are happy to go it alone, nothing could be further from the truth. Perhaps, now more than ever, they need their parents to guide and support them through a challenging stage of life.

A strong partnership between parents and the College provides so many mutual benefits, but most importantly, it supports the learning, development and wellbeing of your children, our students. The benefits of this partnership are profound and are listed below.

Children whose parents are involved in school:

• perform better at school
• settle better into school programs
• feel valued and important because their parents are taking an interest in their lives
• develop positive social skills by watching parents and school staff interact respectfully
• have better social, physical and emotional wellbeing.

When parents are involved in school, staff:

• have higher job satisfaction
• experience less stress
• can better tailor their approaches to learning and teaching because they have more insight into children’s needs
• Benefit indirectly from parent help in classrooms, sports days and libraries, or parent participation in school committees and so on.

Parents who are involved at school:

• can share their child’s strengths and interests with staff and suggest learning opportunities to build on these
• feel empowered to raise concerns and negotiate solutions with staff
• Experience less stress because they know they can work with staff on concerns about their child’s learning or development.

The bottom line is that we cannot ignore the importance of developing partnerships between parents and the College. If we work together, we have the power to make a really positive impact on the future of your children.

I acknowledge that our teaching staff are responsible for ensuring that your children experience learning gain during their time at MacKillop. Parents can can make a difference. In fact, they make their greatest contribution to their child’s education at home.

I don’t expect to see every parent tagging along on excursions or throwing their hand up to run an event at the Athletics Carnival, but as a community, we can do more. I urge you to engage with your child's education in the best way you can. See some effective ways you can do this below.

• You can let your child know that you value education by showing an interest in what they are learning at school. Ask about lessons and how their teacher is teaching them.
• Talk positively about the College, their teachers and about your own experiences of education. 
• Show them the ways you continue to learn, even as an adult. Let them see you read, and make sure they are encouraged to read.
• Discuss their hopes for the future. Set high expectations for your child’s learning and show them you believe in them. 
• Your relationship with your child provides the foundation for all their social relationships. Spend time together talking, playing games, telling jokes and sharing stories. This lets your child know that they are loved and valued.
• Let your child see your relationships with the key people around them. Keep in touch with your child’s teachers about their interests and how they are responding to school work. Encourage your child to show relatives and family friends the things they have been working on at school.
• Talk to your child about their friends and their relationships. Find out their shared interests at school, and ask about the things they like to do together. Explore how they respond to problems and how they celebrate their successes. 
• Share learning experiences with your child every day. Learn to cook a new recipe together, play a sport, or find interesting things at the park or the beach. 
• Give your child the opportunity to discover new things and explore new interests. Going to museums, libraries, sporting events and concerts allows you to find what they are interested in and helps them to be a part of their community.
• Let your child teach you. Find out what they are learning at school and plan activities that will allow them to demonstrate their learning to the whole family.
• Come along to College Information Evenings, Parent/Teacher Interviews and other important College events to demonstrate your commitment to your child’s education.

You could be forgiven for thinking that what your child needs is the new iPhone, a gaming console or some fancy clothes. What they really need is what they have always needed from their parents. They want your love, support, encouragement, acceptance and attention. 

The difference for teenagers is that while younger children need their parents to be in the lead, teenagers need you to be by their side.

I hope to see some of you next Wednesday at the College or on Zoom, where the new College Leadership Team will be available to meet with you, answer questions and gain your feedback.

God bless,

Paul Lynch 

Acting Secondary Principal

Ash Wednesday and Senior's Mass

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A Word from the Front Office

Enrolments for 2025 - Siblings enrol now!

Open Day 6 March 2024

Kinder Connect

Mary's Faithful Wardrobe and Mary's Formal Closet

Positive Partnerships

Smith Family - Saver Plus Program

Term 1 Dates

COMPASS Sign-in Update

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