MacKillop Chronicles Term 4, Week 5

Thursday 14 November 2024

A Message From Our College Principal

Dear Families,

Expression of Interest: Parent Perspective in the Reimagined MacKillop Project

I warmly invite three Primary parent representatives and three Secondary parent representatives to participate in a stakeholder’s discussion forum focusing explicitly on the Baptism to Post-School (Year 13) project. This is a wonderful opportunity to join the Reimagined MacKillop Committee, made up of Teaching and Non-Teaching staff, along with CSBB representatives, on this exciting journey.

The perspective of parents is absolutely critical to shaping our future direction, and your commitment to this will involve a series of up to three meetings over the next 12 months. Each meeting will take place over Teams and will be on a Thursday afternoon from 3:15 to 4:15 pm. Parents do not need to have a specific skillset or expertise but should be open and willing to participate in sharing creative ideas and discussing the future vision of MacKillop. The first meeting will be held on Thursday, November 21st, via Teams. 

To register your interest in being part of the Reimagine MacKillop Project, please contact Mrs Paige Ayling-Griffith at paige.aylinggriffith@dbb.catholic.edu.au to express your interest and/or if you have any questions by Tuesday, 19 November, 3 pm. The method of selection will be ‘first in, best dressed’. Mrs Ayling-Griffith will respond to each expression of interest. 

Staffing Congratulations! 

I am delighted to inform you of these recent appointments and promotions that have been made to support our growing school community. Each of these educators are exceptional and I have no doubt of their impact, knowledge of subject matter and commitment to the future direction of MacKillop. 

•    Director of Wellbeing K-12 – Luke Barry-Donnellan
•    Leader of Learning & Teaching – Religious Education – Michelle Baxter
•    Leader of Learning & Teaching – PDHPE – Nicole Abel
•    Assistant Leader of Learning & Teaching – PDHPE – Lee Wilkins
•    Year 7 Coordinator 2025 – Candice Gorman
•    Year 11 Coordinator 2025 – Michellie Beeson

Introducing the Director of Wellbeing K-12

This new position is critical to supplementing the pastoral care program and supporting pastoral leaders 7-12. This role will also supplement the leader of the social and emotional learning program in place in the Primary school. In a climate where the wellbeing of all individuals must be a priority, we have developed this role and Mr Luke Barry-Donnellan will provide oversight and also co-develop a suite of programs to support the wellbeing needs of students. It is expected that Mr Barry-Donnellan will work closely within our current structures and also be tasked with the co-development of a new student Code of Conduct and mapping of the Australian Wellbeing Framework. 

Mr Barry-Donnellan describes himself as a passionate and results-oriented educator. He is skilled in curriculum development and student leadership and initiates pastoral care and wellbeing initiatives. He is a keen sportsman and has trained as a PDHPE and Religious Educator. He holds a Master of Leadership and Management in Education from the University of Newcastle, along with a Bachelor of Exercise Science. We are delighted to welcome Mr Barry-Donnellan and his family, who are relocating from Sydney in the new year.

Introducing the Leader of Learning & Teaching – Religious Education, Michelle Baxter

Mrs Baxter provides a plethora of experience in relation to leading the Social Justice JUMP program at the College and we are delighted that she has pivoted her career to focus on extending her curriculum expertise in the area of Religious Education. Mrs Baxter is a faith-filled woman who epitomises compassion and courage and will expertly lead the Religious Education Curriculum 7-12. 

Introducing the Leader of Learning & Teaching – PDHPE, Nicole Abel

Mrs Abel comes to this role with enormous experience in marking and leading others. She is a passionate educator with a deep understanding of how the PDHPE curriculum can shape students' learning. Mrs Abel looks forward to embedding high-quality assessment practices that are reflective of curriculum reform.

Introducing the Assistant Leader of Learning & Teaching – PDHPE, Lee Wilkin

Mr Wilkin will support Mrs Abel in their shared leadership of the PDHPE department. Mr Wilkin offers meticulous attention to detail and has a broad understanding of curriculum reform and its impact on the PDHPE syllabus. We look forward to seeing the PDHPE department continue to grow in experience and excellence. 

Introducing the Year 7 Coordinator 2025, Candice Gorman

Ms Gorman is well-known to many of us at the College, and we are delighted that she has been promoted to the position of Year 7 Coordinator for 2025. Candice offers insights into adolescence and a solid understanding of how to engage young people and inspire them to achieve their potential. She very much looks forward to engaging more closely with students and families in Year 7.

Introducing the Year 11 Coordinator 2025, Michellie Beeson

As an ex-student of MacKillop, Mrs Beeson offers an enormous depth of knowledge about the College, and she is very excited to be leading Year 11 in 2025. Mrs Beeson is driven to support the pastoral and academic care needs of her cohort. She enjoys the rapport that comes with engaging more senior students at the College and looks forward to working with the students and families of Year 11. 

Last day of School 2024

This is just a reminder that the last day of School for students is Tuesday, 17 December, and the last day for Staff is Wednesday, 18 December. 

God Bless,

Tanya Appleby | College Principal

Primary Matters

33^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel Acclamation: 

“Be watchful and pray constantly that you may be made worthy to stand before the Son of Man.” Lk 21:36

Dear Parents and Carers,  

Message from The Head of Primary,

On Monday, I had the great pleasure of attending the Year 12 Formal.  I was so proud to see these young people looking happy and relaxed now that the pressure of HSC Exams is over and they can begin to think about life beyond MacKillop. It was wonderful to catch up with parents and share stories of the MCC journey as well as the shared pride of graduation. Congratulations to the Class of 2024!

As Year 6 prepares to ‘Cross the Bridge’, Year 5 has begun their preparation for the leap into leadership. It is wonderful to see so many students commit to serving the community with enthusiasm and pride. In 2025, the role of Vice Captain is just one element of change for our Primary Leaders.  The organisation of the new Leadership Model is presented in the infographic below.  Students have submitted their expression of interest in a Leadership role and now move to the next phase of shortlisting.  The staff have spent time in a discernment process that delivers a list of possible candidates. These students will present prepared speeches in Week 7 that the student body (Years 2-5) will vote on.  A notification of the complete process has been posted to Year 5 via Compass. We pray for these young people and celebrate the courage they have already shown in raising their hands to serve. I will unpack the positions and roles further next week, and I encourage you to speak with your children about the action of voting and the importance of choosing candidates that they believe will represent them and MacKillop with faith, discipleship, hope, compassion, justice and integrity.

Religious Creative Arts Competition 2024

On Wednesday evening, I attended the CSBB Religious Art Prize Showcase at Hornsby RSL.  The 2024 Religious Creative Arts Competition is open to all CSBB school students from Kindergarten to Year 10.  One of the key elements of the competition is how students demonstrate their understanding of and connection to a religious theme. In 2024 the theme is one of the CSBB core values, JOY. “May the God of hope fill you with joy​​​​​​.” (Romans 15:13)

Students were required to link their creative piece directly to the religious theme by answering the question; How is Joy lived out or demonstrated today? As well as creating an artwork, short film, dance, drama or music piece, students wrote a 150-word explanation to accompany their artwork. Students use the 150 words to outline how their artwork connected with the theme. ​​​​​​​

Congratulations to Luke M from Kindergarten who was awarded 2nd Place in the Visual Art Category. Luke’s portrait of St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop is a wonderful example of thoughtful composition.  Luke wrote: “This is a picture of Mary MacKillop. She is a saint who made a lot of people happy and brought a lot of joy. My school is named after her because she was so good to everyone and made them happy. She once said, “Find happiness in making other people happy.”

“The judges noted: “The simple and humble expression on her face resonates with the humility and kindness MacKillop showed throughout her life. The cross, placed at the centre of the portrait, is a fitting symbol of her deep faith and commitment to helping those in need.”  Congratulations Luke!

Relocating in 2025?

As the calendar year draws rapidly to a close, families take time to consider their movement for the new year. Work contracts or family dynamics can sometimes lead to circumstances that call for change. If you are leaving the MacKillop community at the end of 2024, please remember to complete an Exit Form. This form provides valuable information about our services and allows the College to plan effectively for 2025.  We want to provide families on our Waiting List with adequate opportunity to formalise their child’s placement at MacKillop in the new year.

Rock and Water

Throughout the year, students in Years 3 and 5 have participated in the Rock & Water Program. Rock and Water is a course that is delivered over a number of lessons to students in primary and secondary school. A series of exercises and games are practised to develop confidence and self-reflection. The games are diverse, and many have a martial arts origin. The program has a strong appeal to students who enjoy the active nature of the many games and drills. Students learn to stand strong, negotiate using “rock” or “water” verbal approaches, walk away from trouble, consider alternatives to aggression, and develop an understanding of who they are, their intuitive feelings and their personal direction.

Rock and Water Themes

Four leading threads are interrelated in the program: How do we build a sense of purpose in students? Physical exercises are constantly linked with mental and social skills. The program leads from simple self-defence, boundary, and communication exercises to a strong notion of self-confidence. It offers a framework of exercises and ideas about students and adulthood to assist boys and girls in becoming aware of purpose and motivation in their lives.

Topics include intuition, body language, mental strength, empathic feeling, positive feeling, positive thinking and positive visualisation. Discussion topics include bullying, sexual harassment, consent, life goals, desires and the importance of finding and following one’s inner compass.

The Four Key Threads

1. Grounding, centring, and focusing. Learning how to stand firm and relaxed. Concentrating your breath in your belly and focusing attention (first external, later transformed to an internal goal).
2. The golden triangle of body awareness, emotional awareness, and self-awareness. Emotions are expressed in the body through muscular tension, high breath/ low breath, etc. Therefore, increasing body awareness can lead to more insight and experience of one’s own patterns of reaction, which, in turn, can offer a chance to deepen and further develop emotional awareness and self-awareness.
3. Communication. The development of physical forms of communication as a basis for the development of other, more verbally oriented forms of communication.
4. The Rock and Water concept.  The tough, immovable rock attitude versus the mobile, communicative water attitude. This concept can be developed and applied at various levels: the physical, the mental and the social level. At a physical level it means that an attack can be parried by firmly strained muscles (rock) but also — and often even more effectively — by moving along with the energy of the attacker (water). At a social level — for instance, in a conversation — it is also possible to choose between a rock or a water attitude, and the same choice applies to the way in which one maintains relationships with others. Finally, at a spiritual level, the apparent opposites between rock and water disappear. Insight and experience come about when a realisation occurs that both ways are needed to reach self-fulfilment and that people, in their deepest essence, are connected to each other and travel along a path together.

Rock & Water is one of the programs offered to students to support their well-being. 

Hard, Challenging, and Fun!

These are the words from Stage 2 students describing their day at St Peter’s Catholic College Tuggerah, where they collaborated with students from other Central Coast schools for the Techmatics Enrichment Day. The day was filled with exciting challenges, including coding, scavenger hunts using augmented reality, Spheros, and Lego WeDo activities, all designed for high-potential students in Stage 2 classes.

After a short bus ride with Mrs Power as their bus driver, the students were presented with activities aimed at making new friends and working together. In one challenge, they were asked to communicate without words to order their group by alphabetical order or by age. They then worked in groups on various tasks: solving Maths puzzles to complete a scavenger hunt, building and programming a Lego model to move, playing mini-golf using Spheros programmed with specific angles and speeds, and creating games by writing codes to score points.

The students thoroughly enjoyed the day, and they all expressed a desire to participate in such activities again. Thank you to Mrs Crowe and Mr O’Shea for assisting with the day.

Karen Jones | Diverse Learning Leader K-12

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Basketball NSW Primary School Tournament

MacKillop competed in the Basketball NSW Primary School tournament in Newcastle on Tuesday. This year, we had teams representing the college from Years 5 and 6 in the girls' and boys' competitions. The students prepared for the tournament in their free time at school, being coached by Mrs Mohan and Mr Field. The competition was very tough on the day, and our teams showed constant improvement with each game. All students represented the College with pride and had an excellent day, showing camaraderie and sportsmanship. 

Tim Snelling | Primary REC

Blessings for a wonderful week 

Kerry Power | Head of Primary

Wellbeing Week

Secondary News

Dear Community,

Towards the End of the Academic Year

As the school year approaches its conclusion, maintaining a strong work ethic among students is crucial for their academic success and personal development.  Despite holidays being just around the corner, it is crucial that students remain focused and dedicated until the end of the year.

The final weeks of school will often encompass critical assessments and projects that contribute significantly to overall grades.  Consistent effort ensures that students grasp essential concepts and skills, preventing knowledge gaps that could hinder their future learning.

Working hard until the end of the year fosters a sense of accomplishment and resilience.  Students who do this learn to push through challenges, which is a valuable life skill.

It’s been said many times before, but regular attendance and participation in class activities enhance social interactions. Students build friendships and develop social skills that are essential for emotional well-being. Attendance needs to remain high through December 17.

Completing the school year with diligence prepares students for higher education or vocational training, where sustained effort is absolutely required.

Engaging in end-of-year activities or celebrations should reward hard work and motivate students to finish strong. Teachers take a lot of time to ensure these events create a positive association with completing academic tasks.

In summary, encouraging your children to work hard until the end of the school year is vital for their academic success, emotional stability, and personal growth.  By cultivating a strong finish, students not only enhance their learning outcomes but also develop essential life skills that will serve them well beyond the classroom.

Class of 2024 Formal Celebration

On Monday, November 11, after completing their HSC examinations, our successful stage 6 graduates celebrated their achievements at a memorable Year 12 Formal held at Mingara. This event marked the culmination of years of hard work, dedication, and personal growth. The evening provided an opportunity for students, staff, and families to celebrate and reflect on the graduates’ journey and accomplishments.

The Year 12 students arrived, some in cars to die for, and all dressed in stunning formal attire, adding a sense of glamour and excitement to the evening.

The formal began with a welcome address, and Year 12 was announced in their final roll calls so they could be presented with their graduation documentation and College Reference. A number of key speeches took place, including the last address of the outgoing College Captains Manuel and Ashleigh, who made a remarkable final address most befitting the occasion.

While we tried to limit the number of speeches to increase the amount of dancing, nobody was cutting my time to reflect on this remarkable group. I reflected on their hard work and perseverance throughout their studies and acknowledged the support of their teachers, staff, and families in helping them reach their goals.

I wish to publicly acknowledge the assistance provided by Mrs Corrine Patil and the Year 11 Business Service students with the Year 12 Formal again this year. Every year, these students contribute, and this year was no different.

Mr John McNamara | Year 12 Leader of Pastoral Care

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Representative Sports Report

The annual Rugby League Challenge between MacKillop Catholic College and St Peter’s Catholic College showcased thrilling performances from both the Boys' and Girls' teams, culminating in a memorable day of sportsmanship and competitive spirit. The College sent Under 14's Boys' and Girls' teams along with 16 Boys' and Girls' teams. 

The challenge took place at Mc Cudden Oval, St Peter's Catholic College, drawing an enthusiastic and proactive crowd of students and staff eager to support their teams. The atmosphere was electric, reflecting the anticipation built over weeks of preparation from the students and teachers involved.

The 16 Boys' match was a highlight, with MCC dominating the field with a decisive 44-8 victory over St Peter’s. The boys displayed exceptional teamwork and skill. Cooper B, Tyler B, and Edan R played pivotal roles in both attack and defence, demonstrating leadership that inspired their teammates. Alex T was a standout performer from fullback, taking out the Jack Cogger Players Medal.

The 16 Girls' match was equally competitive, with MCC edging out St Peter’s with a close 26-20 win. This match was marked by intense play and strategic manoeuvres from both sides. The girls fought hard, showcasing their talent and determination. Tyra F, Katie A, and Ruby B protected the middle of the field in defence and attack. Rahni D was awarded the Olivia Kernick Medal Player of the Match for her outstanding performance, further highlighting the depth of skill within the team.

The College under 14’s boys and girls teams played some strong, entertaining rugby league. The Girls went down 12 - 0. The Boys side was dominated by the opposition team, going 54 - 8.

Duncan Black | PDHPE Representative Sport Coordinator 7 - 12

Pathways and Partnerships - Performing Arts

Mackillop dance students were recently offered a unique opportunity to enhance their learning with a visit from the Sydney Dance Company. Taught by two Sydney Dance Company dancers, the workshop included a contemporary dance technique warm-up and technique exercises, an exploration of SDC choreographic tasks and the learning of choreography from momenta. This opportunity was made possible through the Art House, Wyong. 

Shana Kuziow | Pathways and Partnerships Leader, Student Achievement CSBB

MacKillop Portrait Prize 2024

The portraits are starting to go up in the Creative Arts Gallery, and they are already drawing a crowd. More will go up next week, so keep an eye on social media for how you can vote for your favourite in the People's Choice Awards category.

God Bless,

Paul Lynch

Acting Head of Secondary

Important Dates from the Finance Office

Uniform Fittings - Alinta Uniform Shop

Apply now for 2025 School Opal cards

2025 CAMP DATES

Mary's Faithful Wardrobe and Formal Closet

Term 4 Dates