MacKillop Chronicles Term 1, Week 2

Dear Families,

A warm welcome to Week 2 of school, and I hope that your children have begun to settle into the year ahead. It is important to remember that starting in Year 7 and Kindergarten can be challenging and that children need time to adjust to their new surroundings, friendship groups, and many new expectations.  I do hope that they will feel 'at home' quickly. Please be sure that you contact us if your child continues to struggle to find routines challenging and we will certainly endeavour to help. 

MacKillop's Growing Future 

Preliminary work has begun at MacKillop as we prepare the College for the re-development of our Primary school. I thank the students and staff for their agility as we re-arrange parts of the primary school, change bell times and make accommodations across the school to facilitate our new buildings. 

Existing families are aware that we have put plans into council to knock down existing structures in Primary to build a new three-level Primary school to support our growing enrolments.

New families may like to know that MacKillop’s re-imagining is part of Bishop Randazzo’s vision for our school to support a Baptism to Post School Learning precinct. It is envisioned that our community will grow to approximately 2200 students across K-12 in the coming years. In order to support this rapid growth, it is critical that Master Plan supports a purpose-built facility to offer state- of- the- art learning spaces.

This proposal will involve the demolition of 16 buildings clustered in the northwest corner of the campus, comprising seven permanent classrooms, six demountables and three amenities, as well as existing paths, shade sails and hardstand areas. In their place, we will expect 16 new classrooms and new outdoor spaces that are in harmony with our environment and green footprint. The diagram below indicates where the new buildings will be placed. The development will be carried out in phases, with stage 1 in blue, stage 2 in green and stage 3 in yellow.

Overall, the proposal aims to consolidate, upgrade and expand the existing learning facilities. It will be constructed in three stages and intends to resolve some of the topographical challenges for access and use of available play space. Below are the artist's impressions of the building structure.

Our proposal is expected to go before the Hunter Central Coast Regional Planning Panel for determination. I hope to keep all families abreast of the plans as we proceed into 2025. 

Please bring your friends and family along to our Open Day on Wednesday, 12 March, with Tours starting at 4 pm and Enrolment information sessions from 6 pm. We thank the many students who take on different roles and jobs on the day to help our guests orientate themselves around our campus and learn about our many offerings. 

For more information about enrolments, please contact Mrs Farrell or Mrs Scarcella on 7256 2116 or via email smccwenrolments@dbb.org.au

Please be advised that we are now taking enrolment inquiries for 2027 as our books are filling up quickly. 

God Bless,

Tanya Appleby | College Principal

Do you know anyone with children eager to join our wonderful College community? We're excited to invite them to our Open Day on Wednesday, 12 March. This is a fantastic opportunity to explore the College through the eyes of our enthusiastic students. They’ll guide you through our vibrant classrooms and the beautiful Parish Church and showcase our outstanding facilities. Enjoy inspiring performances from our talented students, spanning from Primary to Secondary. 

Our dedicated team, including Mrs Appleby, Mr Lynch, and Mrs Powers, will be there with valuable information about the enrolment process, our exciting building projects, and the various pathways available from Baptism to Post School Life.

Please share this invitation—MCC is genuinely the place to be! We can’t wait to welcome future students and families to our dynamic community!

Registrations are now open: CentralCoastOpenDays.com.au

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome

A heartfelt welcome back to school for 2025!  I hope you and your family had a wonderful summer break filled with rest, relaxation and fun-filled family time.  A highlight for me was spending Christmas with my daughter in England.  Capturing treasured moments of my girls together provided lifelong memories. I am excited to return to school, and the energy of the students has filled me with joy. I look forward to catching up with you in various ways over the coming weeks.  All students from Kindergarten to Year 12 are now onsite and engaged in the vibrant life of the College.

The summer break did provide some changes to our Primary teaching team.  Mrs Kellie Denneman and her family moved to Western Australia to begin a new chapter.  Mrs Denneman has been a longtime member of the MCC PE faculty and Primary Leadership Team, and she will be much missed by our community.  Her passion and desire to engage students in physical activity and encouragement to our aspiring athletes provided so many MacKillop students with opportunities to excel.  I hope that we will have an opportunity to farewell Mrs Denneman as a College community at some time in the future, but until then we wish her well.

PE will now be delivered by Miss Cassie Phillips, whose experience and skills in PE, as well as her deep understanding of the MCC community, made her an excellent replacement.  Mrs Karen Jones will be the contact for representative sport, and together, Mrs Jones and Miss Phillips will plan and implement our busy MCC sporting calendar. We also welcome Mr Blake Field to our PE team as our AFL Trainee for 2025. Blake recently graduated from MacKillop and is excited to begin his internship with us.

Mr Luke Bondfield will replace Miss Phillips in the role of Music and Drama Specialist teacher for K-4 classes. Mr Bondfield is a talented musician, and his love of the Creative and Performing Arts and knowledge of our College position him well for this role. Mr Bondfield will remain in 5 Banksia as a job-share with Mr Snelling.  Mr Snelling will continue to work with Miss Cartwright in 5Grevillea.  A plan of the schedule will be part of a detailed Term Overview that will go home at the end of Week 2.

We are very excited to begin lessons in Science and Japanese for our Year 5 and 6 students in 2025.  These Middle School experiences will provide our students with access to practical lessons in our Science Labs and Japanese classrooms.  Transitions to different classrooms with lessons taught by our Science and Japanese faculties will give students an insight into a Secondary timetable. Stage 3 will become used to experiencing the changes of adapting to a variety of teachers across the school day whilst still supported by the stability of a Classroom teacher. We will seek feedback from students and parents to determine the impact of these changes.

As MacKillop grows into a four-stream Primary School and the footprint of the campus changes, it is necessary to accommodate the needs of our growing student numbers.  Our revised bell times will provide opportunities for students to use the play areas with increased space and less competition. 

We will also now dismiss our students from the Shade Sail area in an organised manner.  I remind parents and carers that to allow students to move freely to the appropriate dismissal points, that you collect your children from designated drop-off points.  Parent waiting areas are the COLA, the grassed area near Kiss and Drop and the Canteen Area.  Parents and carers should exit the College grounds promptly to reduce risks associated with parking, movement of vehicles and students moving unsupervised around the campus. To reduce student anxiety please ensure your child knows how they are getting home each day.  If the method of dismissal changes during the day, please contact the College Office to ensure a message is delivered to your child. As teachers are responsible for the care of students at dismissal, they are not available for meetings unless an appointment has been previously made.  We will seek feedback regarding these changes in the coming weeks. 

I also remind you that adults must promote respectful interactions with other parents and children at all times. Please notify a teacher if you see or hear interactions that are inappropriate.

Thank you for your cooperation in advance.

Uniform Matters

Our MacKillop College uniform is highly recognisable in the Central Coast community, and it is important that our students feel pride in wearing it. The first two weeks have allowed us to address students in the entire K-12 College community about the need to maintain consistently high uniform standards.

We ask that parents support our standards regarding correct uniform and address these with your children.  Please refer to the Uniform Policy regarding guidelines for jewellery and hairstyles.

Hats are a vital component of UV protection and an element of uniform we strictly adhere to. It is also the main item that is misplaced. Children who are not wearing a hat will be required to play in the shade sail area of the yard.

Please ensure your child’s uniform is clearly marked with your family name, your child’s first and family name, and their class on hats.

Mobile Devices

While we acknowledge this is a fabulous safety measure for children who walk or catch the bus to and from school, they are becoming a disruption during class times.  Just as we disallow the use of mobile phones, we, too, disallow the use of smartwatches for the purpose of communication during school hours.

Rather than banning these watches, we ask that you please disable the communication function during the hours of 8:20am and 3pm.

If your child’s watch proves to be a distraction during class or is used as a communication tool, it will be stored in a safe place and returned to your child before the final bell. Thank you for your understanding.

COMPASS for Communication

COMPASS is the primary source of communication with your child’s teacher.  COMPASS is a secure and effective method of recording your child’s engagement with school life.

Instructions on how to access email via COMPASS will be provided by class teachers in the coming days.

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 will go home with Year 4 students this week.  If you would like to enrol your child in the Sacramental Program, please attend the Information Session on February 20.

Parent Information Session: Thursday, 20 February 7pm in the Parish Church. Please contact Kim in the Parish Office at 837 9170 [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, 23 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 Leaders. College Parliament and Primary School Leaders are expected to be in attendance and will have an active role in the Mass and community hospitality that follows.

We look forward to seeing you there! 

Blessings for the week ahead,

Kerry Power | Head of Primary

Dear Families, 

Settling into Term 1

A couple of weeks into the new year, and I’m so pleased with how our students have returned from their break and are adapting to life in their new year group.  I have been fortunate to get into some classrooms and observe the student learning, and I’ve had numerous discussions with staff; all of these interactions have painted a positive picture of our students and their preparedness to meet the high expectations we will have of them at MacKillop.

In my first address to the students at assembly last week, I highlighted the importance of doing the basics well.  I fully appreciate that they are young people with developing levels of maturity, it’s inevitable that they will make the odd mistake and that’s OK, but they have a clear responsibility here at MacKillop to learn and improve following those slip ups.

As an avid sport lover, I’ve always been a huge advocate of the One Percent Rule.  In sporting contests what may look like a striking discrepancy in ability or circumstances turns out to be the result of a few 'one percenters' compounding over time.  That’s because in sport, as in life, small competitive advantages produce outsized dividends. 

The One Percent Rule, also known as Kaizen, emphasises making small, incremental improvements daily to achieve significant progress over time.  Here are some examples of how our students can apply this rule –

• Daily Study Routine: Increase study time by just one minute each day.  Over a year, this adds up to about 6 hours of extra study time.
• Reading More: Read one more page each day than the previous day.  This can lead to reading an additional book or two per month.
• Language Learning: Spend one extra minute each day practicing a new language.  This could mean learning a new word or practicing a short conversation.
• Math Practice: Solve one more math problem each day than the previous day.  This consistent practice can significantly improve problem-solving skills.
• Exercise Routine: Increase physical activity by one minute each day.  This could be an extra minute of jogging, push-ups, or stretching.
• Healthy Eating: Eat one healthier snack each day than the previous day.  This could mean choosing fruits over junk food.
• Mindfulness and Reflection: Spend one extra minute each day reflecting on what you learned or accomplished. This helps in setting goals and improving self-awareness.
• Creativity: Spend one minute more each day on a creative activity like drawing, writing, or playing an instrument.
• Punctuality: Arrive one minute earlier to class each day. Over time, this builds a habit of being on time and reduces stress related to rushing.

By applying the One Percent Rule in these areas and others, our students can experience significant improvements in their academic performance, physical health, and personal growth over time.  The key is consistency and the willingness to make small changes each day.

God bless,

Paul Lynch | Head of Secondary

Dear families,

My name is Alex Walters, and I am excited to introduce myself in a new role in the College as the Deputy Head of Student Achievement. It is a privilege to be stepping into this role and I am looking forward to working closely with all members of our College community.

Throughout my teaching career, I have had the privilege of working as a PDHPE and Religion teacher, as well as a leader in curriculum, teaching and learning. Much of my focus has been on supporting teachers in their teaching practices, engaging with families to ensure each child’s success, and embedding strong policies and practices across the school.

At the core of my work lies a continual dedication to promoting student achievement and fostering academic growth. I believe in setting high expectations for teachers and students, as this creates a culture of success.  It is essential that we understand how our students learn and create environments that allow them to thrive. When teachers, parents, and students maintain high expectations, it fosters greater confidence and motivation in students. These essential factors contribute significantly to both learning and achievement.

The collaboration between home and school serves as a powerful driving force in a child's educational journey. We share a responsibility to work together in supporting your child’s development. When families and schools work together, we create a supportive environment that fosters learning, growth, and well-being. It is through this partnership that we can best meet the needs of our students, helping them to reach their fullest potential.

I am truly excited about the opportunity to work with all of you to create an environment that promotes curiosity, embraces challenges, and celebrates achievement. Together, we will continue to build a strong foundation for your child’s future success here at the College and beyond.

Important Curriculum updates

Assessment Schedules and Calendars

Families and students received the 7-11 Assessment Schedules and Calendars via Compass on Tuesday afternoon. These are important handbooks for the students as they begin the academic year. These will provide you and the students with:

• the calendar of when tasks are due
• a snapshot of the outcomes assessed, and the topic included
• the style/type of task.

Please take the time to look at these with your children and help them in their preparation for assessment tasks.

NAPLAN

It is coming up to that time of year again when students will sit the National Assessment Program for both literacy and numeracy. This is an invaluable tool for schools in providing data for student achievement and growth as they progress throughout their schooling years. It provides us with essential data on the skills in reading, writing and mathematics.

These tests will begin in Week 6, Wednesday, 12 March, in both Primary and Secondary. We will send out further details to families, including requirements and testing days, via Compass.

God bless,

Alex Walters| Deputy Head Student Achievement

Sports Report

In the holidays, Cameron B and Lily B competed at Nationals for softball.

Lily was a pickup for U14s ACT. They finished up 7th.

Cameron's U18s NSW Team came away with the 2025 National Champs title!

Congratulations! All of us at MCC are proud of your achievements both at the College and outside!

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

Registration for our Term 1 Parenting Courses are now open!

Our courses are free for eligible parents and carers on the Central Coast. To register for a Term 1 parenting course, please visit www.ccfss.org.au/course-work-programs/ or for more details call us on 4340 1585.

Upcoming Parenting Programs
Circle of Security
Triple P Parenting Program
CHIME Project | Triple P Parenting Program
123 Magic & Emotion Coaching

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

For the most up to date information please refer to Compass