MacKillop Chronicles Term 1, Week 7

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

Living Our Catholic Mission at MacKillop.

At MacKillop, we are deeply committed to fostering the Catholic faith in the hearts of our students. This term, we are especially proud of the 55 students who are participating in the Sacramental Program, preparing for Reconciliation and First Holy Communion. This is a significant step in their spiritual journey, and we ask that you keep them in your prayers as they grow in faith.

Our school also recently celebrated two important liturgical events. On St. Patrick’s Day, the entire school gathered for a joyful liturgy, where our teachers wore green to honour the patron saint of Ireland. The celebration was a wonderful reminder of St. Patrick’s legacy of faith and courage.

We also marked St. Joseph’s Feast Day with a special visit from Sister Marea Ross, who shared her personal connection to St. Joseph and spoke about his importance in her life as a Josephite nun, and the importance of Joseph in the life of Mary MacKillop. Sister Marea’s words inspired us all to reflect on the role of St. Joseph as a model of humility and service.

As we continue our Catholic journey together, we are grateful for the strong sense of community that helps guide and support our students in their faith formation.

God Bless,

Tim Snelling | Primary REC

Exciting Highlight from the Scholastic Book Fair!

Our recent Scholastic Book Fair was a huge success, bringing the joy of reading to our school community!

A special highlight of this term’s Book Fair was the inclusion of the picture book Holey Moley Guac-A-Moley!, which was written by Tanya Pike, an author and parent from our school community. Tanya, mother of Callum and Charlie, dropped by the library to sign a copy of her book for our collection, which I am sure will be very popular with our younger readers.

Thank you to everyone who supported the Book Fair, whether by purchasing books or simply encouraging a love of reading. Every purchase helps our school earn rewards to expand our library resources.

March Library Displays

This month we are celebrating International Women’s Day and St Patrick’s Day.

Jacqueline Crow | Teacher Librarian

School Photo Days will be Wednesday, 2 April for Secondary, Thursday, 3 April for Primary and K-12 Family Photos will be Friday, 4 April.

Photo packs can only be pre-ordered online at newcastleschoolportraits.com

The MCC School Shoot Code is 520234

NAPLAN

A huge congratulations to all of our Year 7’s and Year 9’s who sat their NAPLAN tests across Weeks 6 and 7.  I was thoroughly impressed with the way our students conducted themselves during this period and I trust that each of them will get results matching their effort and application.  I also thank our teaching staff who supported the students during NAPLAN, the preparation and organisation across this block of tests was fantastic and no small feat when you consider the number of students sitting these tests.

NAPLAN is really important to us here at MacKillop as it allows us to reflect on the results and improve our teaching programs where we identify any areas that need more focus.  We use NAPLAN data to evaluate the effectiveness of our teaching methods, and it helps pinpoint areas needing improvement, it also allows us to allocate resources more effectively.  We also don’t shy away from the comparative analysis where we can compare our performance with others at local, state, and national levels, fostering accountability and encouraging best practices.

From a student’s perspective, NAPLAN helps them understand their literacy and numeracy skills, highlighting areas where they excel or need improvement.  By taking the tests in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9, students can track their development over time against national standards. 

For parents, NAPLAN allows them to see how their child performs compared to national benchmarks, helping you to identify areas for additional focus or support.

NAPLAN is certainly nothing to be afraid of, in fact, it is a tool that can help us be better as a school as we strive to ensure that all our students are reaching their potential and achieving the learning growth that is expected.  While NAPLAN is not without criticism in some circles, at MacKillop it remains a valuable tool for measuring our improvement and ensuring students are equipped with essential skills for future success.

God bless, 
 
Paul Lynch | Head of Secondary 

On Wednesday, 19 March the church celebrates the feast of St Joseph. St Joseph was Mary’s beloved husband. He had great faith in God, and he demonstrated true perseverance and readiness to accept the Truth into his life. St Mary of the Cross MacKillop chose to name her order after St Joseph. From what we can learn in the scriptures St Joseph was a compassionate man, a hard worker and was obedient to the will of God; all attributes that Mary MacKillop expected of her fellow sisters who also dedicated their lives to Christ.

As a MCC community we acknowledged this important day with prayer. Some of our students and leaders attended the Parish Mass at 8.45 am, to commemorate such an important figure in the life of our Church. We also wish all the Sisters of Saint Joseph in our community and around Australia a very happy feast day.

Chrystal Price | Deputy Head of Evangelisation & Catechesis 7-12

This week, parents had the opportunity to participate in a rejuvenating Parent Wellbeing Mindful Movement session, led by a skilled instructor, Theresa. The session was designed to help parents unwind, focus on their breathing, and engage in gentle movement exercises that promote both physical and mental wellbeing.

Participants expressed their enjoyment of the session, noting how it provided a calm, centred start to their day. Theresa guided them through a series of mindful movements, helping to release tension and increase energy levels. Parents left the session feeling refreshed, balanced, and ready to tackle the challenges of their day ahead.

After the movement session, all those who attended were treated to a lovely morning tea, offering a chance to connect with fellow parents and share their experiences. The combination of physical movement and community support made this session a valuable and enjoyable experience for all who attended. Many parents are looking forward to the next opportunity to participate and continue prioritising their wellbeing.

Special thanks to Theresa Ball for giving up her time to run the session for the College parents.

With thanks,

Lucy Marien | Parent Engagement Coordinator

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

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