MacKillop Chronicles Term 2, Week 10

Thursday 4 July, 2024

A Message From Our College Principal

Dear Families

Rest and Recreation- I hope you get some!

I wish you all a wonderful holiday! I hope that this is a real time to catch up with all your loved ones or just have some downtime to read a book, watch some TV, go for a walk, or sleep in!

Technology Survey

I wish to acknowledge the survey data I received from the technology questions. I have now engaged the Diocese in some discussion about how we might proceed with some of the changes. I will inform you next term about my progress in this area.

Staffing Update

I wish to acknowledge the following updates in relation to our staff.

Mr Sandy MacKay - Relocation

Mr MacKay is a much-loved teacher who has been hardworking, a strong team player, and has provided excellence in learning and teaching. He and his partner will be relocating from NSW to Sunny Queensland. We will all miss Mr MacKay in the Secondary school and take this opportunity to wish him the very best with this relocation. Mr Mackay will conclude his tenure at the school at the end of Term 2.

Mr John Heffernan -  Retirement

After a very long period of discernment,  Mr John Heffernan has decided to retire from teaching. Mr Heffernan has served many Catholic communities since graduating from Sydney Teachers College. Some of these communities include MCC, St Peter’s Catholic College, Tuggerah, Copus Christi, Tuggerah, Mater Dei, Tuggerah and Mount Austin High School in Wagga Wagga.  During his time at MacKillop, Warnevale, he supported many staff members as a Union Representative. He has also been a dedicated teacher to many students in the subject area of Mathematics. Mr Heffernan will be missed by his colleagues and many of his students, who describe him as caring, kind and supportive.  Mr Hefferan will retire at the end of Term 2.  

Mrs Mel McGuinness – Retirement

We take this opportunity to wish Mrs McGuinness all the very best as she retires at the end of this term. We thank her for the many years of service to Catholic Education and for the enormous role that she has played here at MacKillop and in the Parish.  We recognise her enduring commitment to our students, staff and to our families. We hope that your retirement gives you much rest and lots of time with your loved ones, especially your beautiful grandchildren.

Ms Colleen Heffernan - Retirement

We wish Ms Heffernan all the best as she takes long service leave and then retires from teaching. We thank her for her comprehensive contributions and dedicated service to the MacKillop community, and we will remember her as a passionate educator. Ms Heffernan is looking forward to resting and having greater time for her friends, family, and hobbies. We wish her all the best in the future. Her retirement date is yet to be set, but we expect this in Term 3.

Ms Bev Heyward - Retirement

Ms Haywood is a well-known face around the College as a casual teacher. She has served education for many years and has also shown a commitment to MacKillop for some time. We thank her for all her years as a teacher and acknowledge that her service to education has come from the heart. We wish her all the best as she takes each day at a time and is no longer governed by school bells. Good luck, Ms Heyward!

Mr Damien Tomsett – Promotion

Congratulations to Mr Tomsett on his new leadership appointment as AP Evangelisation & Catechesis at St. Brigid’s College. We wish him all the very best on this career journey and thank him sincerely for serving the MacKillop community with charity, kindness, and professionalism. We congratulate you on this achievement and will miss you very much.

Greg Hughes - New role

We sadly farewell Mr Hughes this term as he has recently secured new employment elsewhere. We acknowledge the large contribution that he has made to the College over the many years that he has served here at MacKillop. Mr Hughes is excited about his new role and the opportunity to work alongside his brother.  He has built many positive relationships with staff and students and there is no doubt that he will be missed by all here at MacKillop.

Maryanne Baker - Relocation

We take opportunity to farewell Mrs Baker in Term 3, as she and her husband relocate to New York! Mrs Baker has supported many students in her role as psychologist at the College and her positive impact has been significant. Maryanne’s care, compassion and professionalism will be missed by all. We wish her well in this new and exciting relocation to the US.  

The College will now begin a rapid recruitment process to support the needs of our community. We thank all of our staff for their dedicated service and will keep them in our prayers as they begin their new journeys.

God Bless,

Tanya Appleby,

College Principal

Primary Matters

14^th Sunday on Ordinary Time

Gospel Acclamation: 

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he sent me to bring Good News to the poor.” Mt 6:1-6

Dear Parents and Carers,

Message from the Principal

This Sunday marks Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday. This special day is a time to honour the rich cultural heritage and contributions of our First Nations Peoples to the Australian Catholic Church. It also marks the beginning of NAIDOC Week, which runs from July 7-14.  The 2024 NAIDOC Week Theme is “Keep the fire burning! Blak, Loud and Proud.” The National NAIDOC Committee selected this theme to celebrate not only the survival but also the relentless spirit of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The theme also celebrates the enduring strength of First Nations culture.

On July 29^th our MacKillop students will acknowledge the importance of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander story in our history.  As a community, we will participate in Liturgy and a smoking ceremony as well as respectfully designed activities with our Specialist Teacher, Mrs. Cheney, and Support Assistant, Mr. Spek.

As Pope Francis reminds us, we are called to be a Church that goes forth, embracing all cultures and peoples.  Let us open our hearts to the wisdom and spirituality of our First Nations Peoples, recognising the presence of Christ in our stories and traditions.  May this celebration be a moment of grace, healing, and transformation for all of us.

Pentecost painting by Magda Lee, Gracie Mosquito and Imelda Gugamen (Balgo Community)

The four circles in the corners of painting represent the four communities: Wirrimanu, Mulan, Kurrurungku and Ringer Soak. The leaders are represented through the horseshoes located around the circle. The different colours represent different people.

The stars represent the different flowers in our area. The dots represent people all over the world and the people coming together for Church. People are also represented through the horseshoes on the right of the painting.

Wirrimanu is located in the top left-hand corner, Mulan in the top right-hand corner, Ringer Soak in the bottom right-hand corner, and Kurrurungku in the bottom left-hand corner.

The Holy Spirit is located in the centre of the painting. It is the Spirit working in all of our communities.

Creating this painting helped to make us strong in the Spirit.

Grandparents Day

On Thursday, Week 1 of Term 3, we will celebrate Grandparents Day.  This is the day before the Feast of Sts. Joachim & Anne, the grandparents of Jesus, on July 26^th.  We invite all grandparents to share a Liturgy at 10.15 am in our Church, followed by Morning Tea with their grandchildren. The Morning Tea will be in the COLA, and a cake stall will open for purchases.  Classes will brought up by their teachers to the COLA area to purchase cakes. This cake stall is presented by the Year 6 Classes (with support from Year 5), who are raising money for their Graduation Celebration at the end of the year. Grandparents will be invited to visit the classrooms.  Year 6 will also display their Portrait Artwork called ‘Inspiring Elders’ in the Library.

Only students with Grandparents attending the liturgy will be attending the morning activities, to help us ensure students are released from class please complete this form: Grandparents Liturgy and morning tea permission.

Kindergarten will also celebrate 100 Days of Kindergarten on this day.

100 is such a big number for kindergarten students, and I know they have been so excited to count toward this significant day in their school journey. Congratulations! Happy 100 Days!

Happy Winter Break

Our first semester of 2024 has passed by so quickly, and your children have grown in so many ways, sharing their successes and challenges along the way. Winter has brought some sickness and fatigue, and I hope that the winter break will provide time for you to rejoice in the company of family and friends and have an opportunity to breathe and be well. Some staff will be on leave during the opening weeks of Term 3. I will be on leave for the first eight days of Term 3 but look forward to returning to MCC on August 1^st.

Colour House Day

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Enrolment 2025

The Kindergarten enrolment process is coming to a close. If you know of family or friends who are seeking enrolment for Kindergarten—or other grades—in 2025, don't hesitate to get in touch with the enrolment officer by submitting their application via email to smccwenrolments@dbb.org.au or by completing the online Enrolment Enquiry Form to secure a place.

Blessings for a wonderful winter break

Kerry Power

Acting Primary Principal

Primary Events

Secondary News

Dear Community,

End of Term 2

As we come to the close of another school term, I wanted to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has contributed to making this period so remarkable.

To our dedicated staff, your unwavering commitment to education and the well-being of our students is always inspiring.  Your creativity, patience, and resilience in adapting to new challenges have ensured that our students continued to receive the highest quality of education.  Thank you for going above and beyond in your roles.

To our amazing students, your enthusiasm for learning, adaptability, and perseverance have been commendable.  You've shown tremendous growth, not just academically, but also in character and resilience.  Your positive attitudes and eagerness to engage have made this term a positive one for all of us.

To our supportive parents and carers, your partnership has been invaluable.  Your support at home, engagement with your children's learning, and cooperation with our staff have been crucial to the success we've achieved this term.  Thank you for your trust, understanding, and active involvement in our school community.

As we reflect on our accomplishments this term, we also look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead.  The strong foundation we've built together will serve as a springboard for even greater achievements in the future.  Once again, thank you all for your hard work, dedication, and support.  Enjoy a well-deserved break, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back for another exciting term of learning and growth in Term 3.

Rock and Water

Year 9 completed a program called Rock and Water in their theory PDHPE lessons this term. This program is designed to help them develop their self-confidence, resilience and strategies to effectively deescalate situations that may involve emotional regulation and conflict management. 

The program focuses on providing students with resolution skills and interpersonal skills that aim to provide them with the ability to feel greater control over their behaviours, manage and cope in stressful situations and take personal responsibility for their words and actions. 

At the conclusion of the program students are given the opportunity to break a piece of wood, that they themselves have written a goal on. This goal may be something they aim to achieve or something they want to change about themselves. 

In week 9 and 10, each Year 9 student had this opportunity, testing themselves and overcoming any fears they may have had about breaking the wood. 

It has been insightful watching the two Year 9 boys classes mature and develop through this course and complete this final task, as well as talking with other staff about how the rest of Year 9 have travelled through this course. 

Mr Legge

Class of 2013  - Mrs Beeson

Last year (2023) was my 10^th year since completing my secondary schooling at Mackillop Catholic College, and this term, we had our belated 10 year reunion. 

What a journey it has been. Individually, it has seen me attain my teaching degree, move interstate, and move back again, and now I have been working at Mackillop as a secondary teacher for the past two and a half years. For my peers, it has involved business ventures, trades, degrees, Tafe courses, travelling, and many happy and sad moments in our lives. 

However, the one thing that we could all collectively reflect on, was the enjoyment for our schooling and really, just how much school meant to us, even if we only realised it once we had left. Mackillop helped in shaping who we became, and influenced our values that we hold dear to us today. 

Thank you Mrs Beeson

Student Leadership - Aspire

Our student leadership framework, ASPIRE, a cornerstone of our strategic plan, has evolved to meet the dynamic needs of our community. We are proud to appoint 12 Cabinet Leaders from Year 11, each entrusted with captaining specific areas within the College. These prestigious roles will be officially announced during the Commissioning Ceremony in early Term 3.

Additionally, this week, we celebrated the announcement of our talented student leaders, known as the Parliament, who will serve alongside the Cabinet Leaders across Years 7 to 11, starting in Term 3. These students will spearhead initiatives in Wellbeing, Youth Ministry, Social Justice, Culture, and House leadership. Their diverse talents and gifts will greatly enrich our community, providing endless opportunities for our students to make a meaningful impact and live out our cherished Josephite tradition.

This week marked the beginning of the handover phase, where our outgoing leaders imparted their invaluable wisdom and experience to the incoming Cabinet leaders. They shared the fruits of their labor, highlighting both the triumphs and the lessons learned, to ensure our school continues to thrive in the best possible way.

 - Rachael Elcoate  | Student Leadership and Leader of Pastoral Care  - Year 7 

Stage 6 Japanese Beginners and Continuers Workshop

Today our MCC Stage 6 Japanese students welcomed peers from St Joesph's, and St Edwards, East Gosford and Mercy College, Chatswood via Zoom to the College to take part in an emersion day of Japanese Culture. The workshop is a Cross Campus initiative enabling our students greater opportunity to study subjects they are passionate about and deepening their experience by bring them together with other students within the Diocese. 

'The Stage 6 Japanese Beginners and Continuers workshop was an amazing experience for all students studying Japanese. We were presented with the opportunity to build on our writing skills, practise speaking, and cook a delicious Japanese meal called Yakisoba. It was a day to emerse ourselves in Japanese culture and communicate with other students in Broken Bay who are also studying Japanese. I am so grateful to have been a part of this experience.'

- Ashleigh | Year 12 Japanese Continuers and 2023/24 College Captain.

Year 11 Drama presents

On Friday, 26 July, Year 11 Drama will present a contemporary Australian play, The Turquoise Elephant, by Stephen Carleton. This wickedly funny play is part of Year 11 Drama's Major Production unit. In Year 11 Drama, students explore many areas of theatre and drama, including theatrical traditions and elements of production in performance. This class has worked extremely hard throughout Term 2 to bring you this full-length satire on the state of action, or rather inaction, on climate change. Filled with larger-than-life characters and fuelled by family conflict, this play is well worth seeing. Tickets will be available at the door for $10.

Junior Theatre Festival

MacKillop is entering the Junior Theatre Festival, Australia again this year. Rehearsals start Term 3 during sports. We will be presenting a new 15-minute extract from Frozen Jr. incorporating the fun group numbers of Hygge and Fixer Upper plus more. We welcome students from the musical as well as new participants. So, if you are interested in being part of the fabulous tradition of JTF, then please add your name to the expression of interest form.

JTF Expressions of Interest Form

The Writers Collective

The Writers Collective is an exciting opportunity for students wanting to develope their writing skills in a creative and experimental space. Students are encouraged to explore the use of words and structure that is not bound by the requirments of traditional course work. The collective was ispired by our very own student magazine BlueBaird and has been developed in collaboration with Mrs Moulder and CSBB to offer more students in the Diocese the opportuntity to expand their skills.

As part of this elective on the 9th May, students undertaking the Cross Campus Course The Writer's Collective, engaged in a virtual Masterclass titled 'N.K Jemisin teaches Fantasy and Science Fiction Writing' with the iconic sci-fi novelist N.K Jemisin. In this course the students were taught how to visualise and metaphorically build sci-fi and fantasy planets, and then narrow this down to cultures, cities, and individual characters. 

The workshop had students using the chalkboard walls to draw their planets and visualise their imaginary landscapes and characters. It also allowed them an opportunity to  build a protagonist and practice composing extracts which drew reader's into the world of their narrative's hero. 

The workshop was facilitated by Shannon Mulder of the English faculty who teachers The Writer's Collective elective course, a 100 hour Cross Campus Course available to Year 9 and 10 students and run by the CSBB. 

YMCC Leadership Camp 

On Monday and Tuesday, thirty YMCC students from Years 8-12 went to Camp Toukley for the annual YMCC Leadership Camp. The focus of this camp is to foster genuine friendships and connections between the students, develop life and leadership skills, faith formation through experiencing different ways of praying and having fun. The Pharus leaders ran most of the sessions, including the icebreakers and workshops and we were so proud of the peer-to-peer ministry that occurred.  

The workshops and sessions covered topics like mental health and wellbeing, gratitude, faith, leadership, and friendships.  We watched skits, discussed the future of YMCC and shared ideas for growth The students also enjoyed camp activities such as laser tag, bush cooking, team games and archery. We are so grateful to Sr Jiji and Michael Paton from CSBB who gave us the opportunity to participate in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the evening. 

Thank you to the Pharus leaders for their preparation and leadership on camp, to Olivia (Year 11) for sharing her powerful testimony, Mr Jason Morrow for his session on gratitude, and Mr Damien Tomsett for accompanying our students and leading the final liturgy. We are so blessed to have a supportive community of families and staff who encourage our students to develop and grow in their faith journey. 

 Life Essentials 

Every Wednesday of Term 2 students gathered in the Ryan Centre during break time to participate in ‘Life Essentials’. This is a video program that encourages young people to reflect and think about a range of concepts and ideas. Is there more to life? What makes us human? Why are friendships so important? Lilly and Shaan from Year 10 organised a party to celebrate the end of the program and it was a great success! Students played in teams and were super competitive in the baby rattle challenge, balloon team challenge and ‘pin the glasses on Mrs Tenev game’. The party food was fairy bread and the Ryan Centre was filled with talking, music and lots of laughter. Thank you Shaan and Lilly for organising the party and to the students who attended. If you enjoyed Life Essentials, you are encouraged to participate in Alpha in Term 3. Every Monday afternoon from 3:30-5pm starting in week two. Register your interest on the YMCC form when it is released. 

God Bless,

Paul Lynch

Acting Principal Secondary

Only 4 more Host Families Opportunities - We Need You!

The Turquoise Elephant - Year 11 Drama

Grand Parents Day - Thursday 25 July

School Holidays

Library - Be Kind to Our Books

Drawing Democracy workshop at NSW Parliament House

Free fun workshop with the Parliament of NSW in the July school holidays

Parliament House invites you to attend this free hands-on workshop led by illustrator and children’s book author David Conley in the beautiful Jubilee Room at the Parliament of NSW.

July 17, 9.15-3 pm for children 8 to 12 years. All children must be accompanied by an adult.

Bookings via Eventbrite. 

Religious Creative Arts Competition 2024

Mary's Faithful Wardrobe and Mary's Formal Closet

Term 2 Dates