MacKillop Chronicles Term 1, Week 6

With the conclusion of our Open Day and Kinder Connect morning, we want to remind you that our enrolment season is now underway. Currently we are accepting applications from families outside the MCC community, and it’s crucial to act quickly as interviews will be conducted in the coming weeks for all year groups beginning at MCC in 2026.

If you have other children in your family who you wish to enrol at the College, now is the time to submit your applications to secure their places. Don’t miss out on this opportunity!

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

We invite all Year 6 students to attend our Year 7 Taster Day on Monday 31 March. This is a hands-on, a day in the life, experience. All MCC students will attend this day, but if you know anyone with children ready to start Year 7 in 2026, share the below link so they can register for our Taster Day today.

Registrations are now open: https://forms.office.com/r/NTTx8QAFYU

2^nd SUNDAY of LENT

Gospel Acclamation: 

From the shining cloud, the Father’s voice is heard: this is my beloved Son, hear him. Mt 17:5

Dear Parents and Carers,

It was wonderful to see so many of our student leaders in Year 5 & 6 volunteer to lead tours for Open Day.  They showed courage, endurance and conviction as they continued long after the school day to act as ambassadors for MacKillop.  I was extremely proud of them all and thank them for their service and dedication to the College.  Thanks also to their parents who college these weary tour guides at 6pm.

Illuminated Manuscripts

When I visited Ireland one of the key sites on my tour was Trinity College and its famous Library, Long Room which houses The Book of Kells.  This precious 9^th century manuscript displays the meticulous and magnificent writing of monks who transcribed the four books of the Gospel using ancient calligraphy.

Year 6 have been developing their skill in Illuminated Text using quotes from The Bible. I was so impressed I wanted to share some with you this week.

I have recently begun watching the ABC show ‘The Role of A Lifetime’, which is part sitcom, part documentary about the challenges of being a parent in the modern age. Whilst my daughters are now fully functioning adults, I still remember the difficulties involved with raising tweens and teens.  The first episode is all about the dominance of the mobile phone and asks some interesting questions about phone readiness and dependence.  There is a fascinating study that shows how the brain learns best when it is functioning at a calm base, free from stimulation and notification.  The pings and blips of devices bring increased anxiety and dysfunction to the brain, especially when it is still forming.  The question of access and availability is still an option for parents if they are willing to resist.

I have included this informative article from Safe on Social regarding the question, ‘Should devices be in your kid’s bedroom at night?’

Devices Damage Sleep

Blessings for the week ahead,

Kerry Power | Head of Primary

Middle school experience: Year 5 and 6 classes have commenced their middle school experience for Japanese.

Each fortnight, classes come across to the high school language centre to learn about Japanese language and culture. So far students have been learning greetings, common classroom expressions and numbers. These classes will give them a head-start when they commence Stage 4 (Year 8) Japanese in the future. The chance to visit specialist classrooms in the secondary campus will also help students in their transition to high school.

Welcome Mrs Reiko Kilham: I would also like to welcome Mrs Reiko Kilham to the Japanese Department. Mrs Kilham was born in Japan and moved to Australia in her early twenties. We are very fortunate to have a native Japanese teacher in our department. She can give our students unique and genuine insights into the Japanese language. Mrs Kilham has taught Japanese in various settings over the last 15 years, most recently in the CSBB Cross-campus program.

Japanese exchange student: We are very excited to soon welcome a Japanese exchange student for two weeks from March 16. Mei Uesugi is 15 years old and lives in Odawara city, south of Tokyo. Mei’s father, Makoto, is well known to MCC as he coordinates the visit from our sister school (Nihon Daiichi JHS) each year. Mei is very excited to experience everyday life as a MacKillop student. We would like to thank Florence, Year 10, and her family for kindly offering to host Mei. One of Mei’s hobbies is cooking, and she is excited for the opportunity to make Japanese food for her host family during her stay.

Regards.

Andrew Kilham | Leader of Learning Language, Japanese

Community Engagement
 
I am a huge believer in the power of not only engaging our students in their learning but also our wider College community in what’s going on here at MCC.  I am absolutely committed to ensuring MacKillop can be all that it should be.
 
Over the first five weeks of term, we’ve had numerous staff working away on policies and procedures to ensure that we are offering the best possible experience to our students.  I appreciate that talk of policy and procedure is far from captivating, but it is important that we get these things right to ensure the school delivers on the outcomes it promises and sends each student out of here with the skills and dispositions to be successful in life after school.
 
In discussion with our students currently in Years 11 and 12, I sense they see some of our expectations around assessment and examinations as quite tough.  I agree with them, they are high expectations, but we have absolute faith that they can rise to the challenge and by doing this, they will be in a far better position to tackle the rigors of the HSC.
 
The engagement I hope to see at MacKillop goes beyond just engagement with learning.  To be a MacKillop student means that we engage with all opportunities that are on offer.  It's not OK to pick and choose what we attend based on personal interest; this won’t be tolerated in the workplace, so it's essential that parents and the school, work together to build these important habits now.  All students, except in rare circumstances, should be at our College Carnivals, at our Masses and Liturgies, turning up on the last day of term, participating in our community fundraising days, etc.
 
In recent weeks, I was thrilled with our attendance at the swimming carnival but somewhat disappointed by the attendance at our Ash Wednesday Mass.  It's an area for improvement, and I sincerely hope that we can work together between school and home to emphasise the importance of attendance at these events and being part of a community that goes beyond the individual. 
 
I am so grateful to all the parents who support this because I know that many of you can be going into battle with strong-willed teenagers, but I can guarantee you that they’ll thank you for it in the future.
 
Finally, I strongly encourage any parents who are able, to come along to the Parent Engagement Meetings over the coming weeks.  We would value your feedback and look forward to giving you updates on developments within the College.
 
Thanks again for your ongoing support, God bless,
 
 
Paul Lynch | Head of Secondary 

Supporting Student Success - Assessment Tasks

At the College, we aim to maintain high expectations for all students. We believe that setting high standards helps students develop a strong work ethic, critical thinking skills, and the confidence needed to face future challenges. These high expectations are essential for encouraging growth and preparing students for academic success.

Why do we have assessment tasks?

We are at the point in the term where students will be completing their subject-based assessment tasks for most courses. Each task is designed to help students and teachers understand what has been learned and what areas need improvement. For parents and students these assessment tasks provide opportunities for valuable feedback and understanding of student strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, it allows teachers to support future learning and teaching strategies that will engage students further in their growth.

How do students receive these assessment notifications?

Assessment tasks are communicated through the learning management system used by each teacher. Students must acknowledge receipt of these tasks by completing a form, confirming their understanding of the task requirements, and the importance of submitting their own work. As parents, you can access these tasks on your child’s device.

Where can you find the assessment calendars and assessment policies and procedures?

On our College website, you will find assessment calendars and handbooks, which outline the processes and procedures for students and families. With our renewed focus on high expectations, these policy and procedure changes aim to support students' success as they complete tasks and navigate their school journey. We encourage you to review these documents with your child to ensure everyone is aware of the task expectations, what happens if a task is not submitted, and how to support students who are ill or absent. Please also be aware of the penalties for non-submission, as this can potentially impact student reports and grades.  

Challenges of AI

In today's technological era, AI has a role in education. While AI can be a useful tool to support learning and research, it should not substitute the critical thinking, originality, and knowledge that assessment tasks are designed to showcase. The responsible use of AI is essential. Students must learn to engage with AI in a way that enhances their understanding without substituting their individual effort and creativity.  Again, this policy is outlined in students' assessment notifications and in our assessment handbooks.

Will students receive feedback?

Our goal at the College is to provide guidance, feedback, and tools to help students thrive. Our teachers in Years 11 and 12 often run before school help and we also have a Math's help group on Wednesday mornings. Receiving feedback prior to the submission of a task requires students to be organised, and they must ensure they are timely in requesting this feedback. Students will receive feedback and results two weeks after the submission date of the task. Families will be able to see these results on Compass under learning tasks.

Who should I talk to about my child’s learning?

The class teacher is the best place to start. They understand the learning needs of your child and are working directly with them in the classroom. You can contact them via email or by contacting the admin office.

Your involvement and encouragement will play a key role in your child’s success. Please don’t hesitate to contact class teachers if you have questions about your child’s progress.

Alex Walters | Deputy Head, Student Achievement 7-12

The following message was sent out through Compass earlier this week, but if you haven’t yet had a chance to engage with the current survey, please see the details below.

We are seeking parent feedback on how students engage with their homework and use their school diaries. Your insights will help us support students in developing effective study habits.

Please take a minute to complete our short survey. Your responses will be valuable in shaping our approach to homework and organisation.

The survey will now be open until Monday 17 March 2025. Thank you for your time and support.

Kind regards,

Erin Sullivan | K-12 Professional Growth Lead

Welcome to 2025. With the start of the new year comes new opportunities to represent the College in sports. How can a student represent MacKillop?

Sign-ups will be sent via Compass so that students can register. The coach (teacher) will hold a meeting, trials, and training session to select teams.

What’s next?

The student - will need to make meetings/selection trials/training sessions.

If a student’s behaviour doesn't meet expectations at school and has been ongoing, it will be less likely for him/her to represent the College. If a student is selected into a team and is unfortunately suspended from school (internally or externally), they will not be able to represent the College or the Pathway (CSBB or NSW CCC teams). This occurs in all schools this is not just Mackillop. Thank you for your understanding.

The College’s major carnivals (Swimming, Athletics and Cross Country) have not all been completed, and our Age group champions and house champions are yet to be known. This will be finalised by the end of Term 2.

CSBB (Catholic schools Broken Bay Sport)

Over the coming weeks, the students will represent the College at the U15 and Open Touch gala day, Open Basketball and Open Soccer teams.

Individual students will have the opportunity to trial as individuals for Under 15 Boys and Under 16 Girls Rugby League teams and Under 15 Girls Netball. While at these tournaments/selections, the students can have the opportunity to be selected into Catholic Schools Broken Bay (CSBB) teams and New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges (NSWCCC) teams.

Under 15 Touch

Congratulations to our Boys and Girls Under 15 touch teams. The games were played at a very high standard, with games for both teams either winning or losing by a try. While our teams did not make it to the finals. We had three students selected for possible/probable teams. Congratulations to these student Mollie F, Madison A and Cooper B from Year 9. Mollie F was selected into the CSBB Under 15 team. Thank you to our teachers, Mrs Elcoate and Mr Morley.

NSW Combined Catholic Colleges (NSWCCC)

Throughout the year, students will have more opportunities to be selected into NSW Combined Catholic Colleges (NSWCCC) teams. There are two ways to be selected for these teams.

First, via school representation, students will be selected for the College team and then selected to represent the CSBB Broken Bay team at the NSW CCC carnival, where An NSW Combined Catholic Colleges team will be selected.

The second way is by a student registering as an individual. This can be achieved by registering via the CSNSW Sports portal  https://csnsw.sport/.

CSBB and NSW CCC Team Representation News

Most selections start at age 15.

Congratulations to the following students on their selection into the following CSBB and NSW CCC teams.

CSBB

Touch Football – U 15 Mollie F

NSW CCC

Cricket – Beau G

Softball – Cameron B

Baseball – Cameron B

Golf – Ava P

Golf – Levi P

CSBB Calendar

Working In Partnership

In my first five weeks at MacKillop Catholic College, I've been impressed by the dedication of our wellbeing team and the positive impact they have on our students. I've also had the opportunity to speak with a range of students across the College about how they are settling into school life.

Recently, I listened to a podcast with renowned comedian, Jimmy Carr. In this podcast, he took a philosophical approach to life and how to best prepare young people for the future. He emphasised the importance of "being kind to the potential" of young people by providing discipline and structure to their lives for them to be well-equipped in all aspects of life.

For example, if children were allowed to eat fast food whenever they wanted and have unlimited screen time, they might struggle with obesity and academic performance. Conversely, when kids are encouraged to eat nutritious food like broccoli at dinner, do their homework every night, and go for family walks, they learn to value the importance of nutrition, exercise, and family.

This same philosophy can be applied to school. There are times when we have difficult conversations with students about adhering to school rules like uniform and punctuality. The reason we value these rules is that we are being kind to the person we know your child CAN be. We want them to be confident, compassionate, and future-ready students who can be the best version of themselves.

By working together and upholding these values, we can help our students become confident, compassionate, and ready to face the future.

International Women’s Day

On Monday, the MacKillop Community celebrated International Women’s Day (IWD). This day is aimed at celebrating women's achievements, raising awareness about discrimination, and taking action to forge gender parity. To recognise and celebrate the women in our community, students were encouraged to wear purple accessories. Our student leaders ran a morning tea for all female staff in the Dreaming Cafe. Additionally, all female staff and students received a card from our student community to celebrate the occasion. Secondary students took the time to read picture books to our primary students, centred around female protagonists. A huge thank you to Mrs Elcoate and the Year 12 leaders for their assistance in driving these activities to celebrate an important day in our school calendar.

The Vacation Care programs offer a wide range of activities catering to children of different ages, interests and needs. We also head out and about on a range of local excursions.

They provide a stimulating environment that is filled with enjoyable activities that harness the children’s interests and strengths while respecting their need for leisure.

To register www.catholiccaredbb.org.au/vacation-care

Algorithms and Adolescents

For parents and carers of upper primary and secondary school students
Find out about the rewards and risks of recommender systems for young people

Presented by the eSafety Commissioner Team

Wednesday 19 March 2025, 7 pm – 7.30 pm

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

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.

Listed below are tentative camp dates for 2025. 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                 29 October to 31 October 2025

Year 6                 7 April to 9 April 2025

Year 7                 14 May to 16 May 2025

Year 9                 15 - 17 September 2025 // New date

Year 10              28 July to 29 July 2025

Year 11              3 November to 5 November 2025

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