MacKillop Chronicles Term 1, Week 1
Thursday 6 February 2025
Welcome Message from The College Leaders
Dear Families,
A warm 'welcome back' to our entire MacKillop community – students, parents and staff – and a special welcome to those joining our community for the very first time. We hope that there was ample opportunity for you to rest and renew yourselves over the break.
Special Invitation
New students, Kindergarten students and Year 7 students along with their families are invited to attend a special welcome Mass on Sunday 23 February 2025 in the Parish at 5pm. There will be a light supper provided after Mass. All are welcome.
Jubilee Year
This year, Pope Francis has proclaimed 2025 as the Jubilee (Holy Year). The origins of the Jubilee can be traced back through the Bible and its intent was to reestablish strong relationship with God, with one another, and with all of creation. In 1300, the Church took up the tradition of a Jubilee Holy Year every 50 years which in time became every 25 years. Our Prayer for the College is that the grace of the Jubilee Year will inspire us to journey together as Pilgrims of Hope. Please refer to the information found at the following link to learn more about the Jubilee Year.
Term 1 Commencement
On Monday, we welcomed Years 1-6 in Primary, Year 7 and all the new Secondary students who are commencing at MacKillop. It was impressive to see students looking neat, clean, tidy and ready for school. Please ensure that you support your child in making sure that their device is fully charged and that they bring their writing equipment and other appropriate learning resources daily.
On Tuesday, we welcomed the return of Year 8-12 students. Our new Kindergarten students commence on Wednesday 5 February. Be sure to take lots of photos of them as they transition to ‘big school’. Our Kindergarten families are invited to our ‘Tea & Tissues’ gathering. This is an opportunity to meet new parents as the school journey begins.
Uniform
The College Uniform Policy is on our website, and it is important all students adhere to our expectations.
Wearing the school uniform with pride is an outward reflection of our values, and a mark of respect and our shared experience. It supports a sense of belonging, community and inclusivity, all of which are key aspects of wellbeing.
It is our expectation that students will adhere to the requirements regarding uniform, jewellery and hair. Girls are permitted to wear a single simple stud or sleeper in the lobe of each ear. No clear studs are to be worn. Correct earrings are available at the Uniform Shop.
- Hair must be neat, tidy and conservative and must be tied back if long enough to touch the shoulders.
- Formal shoes must be black leather lace up school shoes.
- Sport shoes are only to be worn with sport uniform and must be proper sport shoes. No Converse or casual canvas sneakers allowed.
- We will be enforcing these high expectations of uniform and appearance and ask for parents’ support in this.
For a comprehensive list of expectations and College policy regarding uniform click HERE.
Parent Charter
A reminder that all parents and carers should be aware of the Parent Charter for systemic Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Broken Bay. This Charter has been developed so that parents and carers are aware of expectations with regard to interactions with staff, students and other parents. Adherence to this Charter is important to promote positive and productive relationships within the College community. This Charter can be found HERE.
Finance Update
Payments / Due Dates
2025 School Fees Statements will be emailed in February. The first instalment noted on the statement for 2025 School Fees is due on Friday 21 February, 2025. For questions related to fees please contact the School Fees Liaison Team via email schoolfees@dbb.org.au or phone 02 7256 2888.
If you are experiencing financial hardship, CSBB has a number of fee relief options available to assist you. Please contact the School Fees Liaison Team.
Attendance
Attendance is critical to learning and if your child is absent from school then they are missing their opportunity to learn. Please be advised that attendance is strongly monitored. Students in Stage 6 (Years 11 & 12) must be particularly careful of their attendance as this may impact on their achievement and ability to fulfil NESA expectations.
Student Diaries
Students in Years 5 to 12 will receive a College diary as part of their learning. The expectation is that all students receive homework and that all homework is completed. If your child is unable to complete their homework, simply write a note to their teacher in their diary or send their teacher an email. Diaries will be checked by Pastoral Teachers in Years 7-12 and by classroom teachers in Years 5-6. The diary, along with Compass, will be used to track students leaving the classroom. This will include when students need to access the bathroom, run errands or are required to leave class early due to a medical appointment.
Below is a guideline of how much homework your child may expect:
Year Groups | Types of Possible Homework | Guidelines |
Kindergarten – Year 2 | Students may be given books to read at home, as appropriate. Homework may take the form of learning words for spelling, some mathematical activities, reading or writing tasks. | 15-20 minutes a week |
Years 3-4 | Students may be required to work more independently on a task. They may also receive reading tasks, learning words for spelling, practise mathematical concepts learnt at school. | 20-30 minutes per week |
Years 5-6 | Students will be required to work more independently on tasks. They may also receive reading tasks such as the reading of specific fiction/non-fiction books or texts, learning words for spelling, practising mathematical concepts learnt at school. | 30 minutes to 1 hour per week |
Years 7-8 | Homework will set across the curriculum. It may include assignment work that is investigative, or research based, Group work-based tasks or project-based tasks, preparation for formative or summative tasks, the reading of novels or other fiction/nonfiction texts. | 1 – 2 hours per week |
Years 9-10 | Homework will be set on a regular basis. It may include work that is investigative, or research based, Group work-based tasks or project-based tasks, preparation for formative or summative tasks, the reading of novels or other fiction/nonfiction texts. Preparation for examinations. | 1 – 2 hours per week |
Years 11-12 | Homework will be regular and expected to be completed independently. Homework may be set in all subjects and students may be required to prepare for formative and summative assessment in addition to examinations. Time will vary according to the learning needs and individual programs of learning. | 2-3 hours for Year 11 per week for ATAR subjects 3-5 hours for Year 12 students, as a minimum |
2025 Camp Dates
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.
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 October 29 to 31
Year 6 April 7 to 9
Year 7 May 14 to 16
Year 8 Day Camp, date TBC
Year 9 September 15 to 17
Year 10 July 28 to 29
Year 11 November 3 to 5
New Staff
We warmly welcome our new staff to the College:
Primary
Catherine Brown, Kindergarten Grevillea (returning)
Brooke O’Connell, 1 Grevillea (returning)
Elana Pont, Targeted Teacher Intern (TTI) 3 Wattle
Chailend Malinowski, Targeted Teacher Intern (TTI) 4 Banksia
Blake Field, AFL Trainee
Secondary
Alexandra Walters, Deputy Head of Student Achievement 7-12
Luke Barry-Donnellan (Known as Mr Barry), Director of Wellbeing K-12
Craig Morely, Leader of Wellbeing & PDHPE Teacher
Gregg Bryant, Assistant Leader of Teaching & Learning- Religious Education
Morgan Sneddon, Science Teacher
David Blake, TAS Teacher
Peeta Gainsford, HSIE Teacher
Anthony Surace, Maths teacher
Ashleigh Smith, Secondary Psychologist
Tobin Finnane, Music teacher
Mikayla Ryan, PDHPE Teacher
Ashley Hodge, Young Achievers Teacher Training Scholarship (YATTS) Teacher
Tom MacMahon, Young Achievers Teacher Training Scholarship (YATTS) Teacher
Learner Diversity Support
The College is delighted to announce that we have appointed Mrs Natalie Lea as the Learner Diversity (formally known as Learning Support) Admin Support Officer. This role has been specifically designed to facilitate better communication between families, the College and Allied Health professionals. Natalie will also be responsible for managing appointments necessary for Health Action Plans and Learning Plans along with supporting the uploading of NCCD (Nationally Consistent Collection of Data). Over the next few weeks, Natalie will be communicating with families who require the updating of Health Action Plans and/or Learning Plans. Please look out for a letter of introduction from Natalie shortly. To contact Natalie regarding Allied Health appointments conducted on-site at the College, please use the following email address: alliedhealthbookingsmcc@dbb.catholic.edu.au. Alternatively, her contact details are Natalie.lea1@dbb.catholic.edu.au.
Tanya Appleby | College Principal - Paul Lynch | Head of Secondary - Kerry Power | Head of Primary
St Mary MacKillop Parish Are Recruiting Catechists
You might ask what is a catechist? Catechists are people from all walks of life that teach Special Religious Education to Catholic kids in our State Schools. Catechists in our parish go to Warnervale & Woongarrah Schools to share our Catholic faith and the love of Jesus with the children using the Walking With Jesus programme.
The necessary training for authorisation to teach is provided free of charge. Teacher’s Manuals contain easy to follow lesson plans with Power points to support each lesson.
For more information, please contact Kerrie Dedera, Parish Catechists Coordinator on 0402815633 or email kerrie.dedera@bbcatholic.org.au
Central Coast Youth Week Awards 2025
Term 1 Dates
Friday 31 January – Student Free Day/ Staff Development Day
Monday 3 February – Year 7 and Year 1-6 First Day back at school. New students Years 8-11 (morning session) Kindergarten Assessments
Tuesday 4 February – Year 8-12 First Day back at school. Kindergarten Assessments
Wednesday 5 February – First Day Kindergarten
Friday 11 April – Last Day Term 1