MacKillop Chronicles Term 2, Week 3

We are still receiving applications for 2026 Waitlist places across the College. Interviews for key Year groups are almost complete with offers being sent out. If you or someone you know is planning on joining the MCC community next year, apply now before it is too late!

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

Dear Parents and Carers,

Message from Head of Primary

Parent Teacher Interview Day

Parent Teacher interviews are essential communication between parents and the educational leader of their children.  In 2025, MacKillop will host K-12 Parent Teacher Interviews on the same day, Friday, 27 June. This will be a Pupil Free Day.  Interviews will begin at 3.30 pm through to 6.30 pm on Thursday, 26 June, and continue on Friday, 27 June, starting at 8.30 am through to 3.45 pm.

In this way, parents across both campuses are free to meet with their children’s teachers.  Students in Years 3-6 are invited to attend the interview with their parent/s.

Please watch for communication in the coming weeks from Mrs. Kenney to secure an interview with your child’s teacher/s.

Please note: MCC OOSHC will be available on this day.

Blessings for a wonderful week

Kerry Power | Head of Primary

This term has been a beautiful celebration of faith, family, and community here at MacKillop Catholic College. We are especially proud of the students from our school and Parish community who made their First Holy Communion. It was a joyful and sacred occasion as they received Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time. We congratulate each of them and thank their families, teachers, and our Parish team for guiding them on this important step in their faith journey.

In the spirit of gratitude and love, we also gathered to honour the special women in our lives at our annual Mother’s Day Breakfast. Families joined us for an early morning Mass with Father Joshy, whose gentle presence and heartfelt message made the morning even more meaningful. Following Mass, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast together and came together as a school for a special Mother’s Day assembly. A highlight was the raffle draw, where our PEC, Lucy Marien, announced the lucky winners with great joy and excitement.

We thank all who joined us for these special events. It’s in these shared moments of faith and community that we truly live out our mission as a Catholic school.

Tim Snelling | Religious Education Coordinator and Teacher K - 6

In Term 2, the focus for Parent Engagement will be on Learning. We offer parents the opportunity to learn about what is happening in the classroom and provide strategies on how parents can support the learning of their children. These meetings will be provided on a face-to-face basis during the school day and via Teams in the early evening.

Tuesday 20 May – Years 11 & 12 Focus: Senior Study: Where should students be at and what do they need to do to improve? This focus session will only be for all students considering or currently on an ATAR Pathway. Useful resources will be provided to parents who attend this session.

Tuesday 27 May – Year 10 Focus: Why choices and pathways are important: Preparing your child for subject selection.

Tuesday 3 June – Years 8 & 9 Focus: Stepping up: Where students should be at and what they need to do to improve. Only offered as an evening online session via Teams.

Registration for these events will be communicated via Compass from our Parent Engagement Coordinator, Lucy Marien.

Years 5 and 6 Library/Science Guest Speaker

On Tuesday, 13 May, Year 5 and 6 students had the privilege of hearing Mr Zane Rault from Catholic Schools Broken Bay speak about project management and design. This session was purposefully linked to the Term 2 library/science unit, looking at properties of materials relating to playground equipment. Mr Rault presented detailed information surrounding the design process, allowing students to gain valuable knowledge, insights and understandings that will be applied during their library/science lessons. We are very grateful to Mr Rault for his engaging presentation and taking the time to respond to the many well-thought-out questions our students asked.

National Simultaneous Storytime

On Wednesday, 21 May, students from Kindergarten to Year 3 will have the opportunity to join thousands of children across Australia for National Simultaneous Storytime. This year’s book, The Truck Cat by Deborah Frenkel, will be read in the library during lunchtime. We look forward to sharing this heartwarming story and doing some fun craft activities inspired by the story.

Save the date for our ‘May - Family Reading Month’ Big Event!

Family Reading and Pizza Night – Tuesday, 27 May 4.30 - 6 pm

All families, K - 6, are welcome – children must be accompanied by a parent or carer. Come along and spend time together in our beautiful library reading, followed by a delicious pizza dinner. More information about pizza order forms to come next week.

Jacqueline Crowe | Teacher Librarian K - 12

Report Dispositions

We recently sent out interim reports for our students, which outlined a range of learning dispositions.  Interim reports are, by nature, a briefer snapshot of how your child is travelling at that point in time, and they will be followed by more detailed semester reports, which have a more specific focus on results, grades and academic performance.

Whilst many parents have appreciated the new format of these reports, I understand that there are some parents and students who feel like the standards outlined in the report are quite rigorous and difficult to achieve.  I understand these concerns, but I am very confident that having genuinely high expectations for your children will serve them well now and beyond their time at MacKillop.

These dispositions we’ve chosen are evidence based and are proven to be the foundations for successful learning outcomes.  In discussions with Year 7 parents at our recent information evening, it was clear that some parents may be concerned when their child was identified as “working towards” these dispositions.  I want to assure all of our parents that “working towards” is perfectly OK, and a majority of our students will be in this category at the moment.

As a school, it is very important to us that we enter into honest conversations with our families.  I would hate for us to be a school where we were inauthentic in our reporting of these dispositions in fear of rocking the boat, so to speak.  Our job is to report honestly and maintain high expectations.  In doing this, it allows us to work together with our families and ensure the best outcomes for your children.  Our hope is that we have a strong three-way partnership between the child, the school and the parents.  When we all work hard together to ensure each child develops these dispositions, the sky is the limit for their learning.

In saying all of this, we truly welcome feedback from our parents.  We are constantly wrestling with the best way to report on student achievement, and I can assure you that we consider carefully what will work best for you.  We are still looking at some tweaks to this process to ensure that you get the information you need, and you get it in a timely manner so that your children have time to put strategies in place before they sit assessment tasks or examinations.

God bless,

Paul Lynch | Head of Secondary

After a busy term of NAPLAN preparation, Year 7 is now gearing up for their first formal assessment task. Scheduled for Week 4, this assessment will focus on a poem by Indigenous poet Kirli Saunders. For the remainder of the term, Year 7 students will need to bring a copy of the play ‘Honey Spot’ by Jack Davis to class as they explore how meaning is constructed in a drama text. 

Year 10 students will also need to bring a set text to class this term. Their study of the dystopian genre will centre on the novel ‘A Sky So Heavy’ by Claire Zorn, which examines themes of resilience, friendship, family, and ethics in a world where society has been irrevocably altered. 

Meanwhile, eight of our Stage 4 students are eagerly preparing for the Josie Mitchell Debating Competition. Taking place at MacKillop in Week 6, the event will feature teams from six local schools. Under the guidance of Miss Martland, our students are honing their skills, and we wish them the best in their endeavours. 

Kathy Yates | Leader of Teaching and Learning English 7 - 12

"You Know It When You Can Write It with the Book Shut"

Our founding Principal, Mr Stephen Aitken, often reminded students and staff alike: “You know it when you can write it with the book shut.” It’s a simple statement, but a powerful one. It captures the essence of genuine learning, mastery that goes beyond memorisation or quick answers. 

In an age of artificial intelligence, instant search results, and on-demand summaries, Mr Aitken’s words remain just as relevant, perhaps even more so. AI is a remarkable tool. It can organise information, suggest ideas, and even mimic understanding. But what it cannot do is learn the content for you. That still requires personal effort, critical thinking, and consistent practice. 

As Stage 5 students approach their end-of-semester HSIE examinations, we encourage both students and parents to see this as a key milestone. These examinations will form the final assessment grade for the current course of study in History and provide an important reflection of a student’s progress and learning so far. 

Looking ahead, Term 3 will see Stage 5 students transition to the other HSIE discipline, Geography, starting a new course with a fresh set of challenges and opportunities. A clean slate, but the same expectations. 

In a world of instant answers, the true test remains the same: you know it when you can write it with the book shut… or the device off.

Monica Boyd | Leader of Learning and Teaching HSIE

How often have you been told to go home and study for your different subjects? Or to study for the exam? Yet you get stuck at the first step… how do I actually study?
Over the past term, I’ve shared a few study tips - such as those from The Learning Scientists - but the next big question is: when do we do this, and how can we make the time?

A study timetable can be a valuable strategy to help organise your homework and study time. It ensures you not only complete your homework and assessments but also build in regular revision of what you've learned in class.

The most effective revision isn’t cramming - it’s interleaving, which means spreading out short, focused study sessions for different subjects across the week. For example, instead of doing two hours of study on Sunday, try 20 minutes on three different days. This helps your brain retain information better and make stronger connections between topics.

Your study time will naturally increase as you move through high school so that by Year 11 and 12, you will have built up to more consistent daily sessions.

When filling in your study timetable, start with the non-negotiables - things like sport, family commitments, dinner, or a part-time job. After that, you’ll likely find there’s still plenty of time left each day for short study blocks, plus time to relax and enjoy your afternoon.

You can create your own study timetable or download a template below.

Study Timetable.docx

Erin Sullivan | K-12 Professional Growth Lead

Dear Families,

I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all the families who attended our Mother’s Day event last Friday morning. It was a delightful morning celebrating the wonderful mothers and mother figures in our community.

Our Mother’s Day raffle was drawn during the Primary School assembly on Friday morning, and I congratulate all our winners. We had a total of 13 prizes raffled off.

A huge thank you goes out to the local businesses that generously donated to the raffle, including The Three Pea’s Eatery, Bunnings Lake Haven, Urban Yoga Toukley, Brooklyn Donuts Tuggerah, Athlete’s Foot Tuggerah, Wildfire Day Spa at Kooindah Waters, and Silver & Stone Jewellery Workshops Warnervale.

Thanks to the success of our raffle this year, I am excited to announce that we have a surplus of $2,271. The school plans to use these funds for:

• Families engaging in Baptism
• Purchasing educational resources
• Acquiring decodable readers for Primary

We are grateful for the continued support from our community and look forward to more events that bring us together. Thank you once again for making our Mother’s Day celebration a memorable one!

Many thanks,

Lucy Marien  | Parent Engagement Coordinator

Youth Ministry Update

Much has been happening in the world of Youth Ministry at MacKillop lately. For me personally, I arrived at MacKillop, crossing paths with Mrs Tenev as she moved her way over St Brigid’s, and I have been welcomed with open arms by all involved in the Youth Ministry space, and the College in general.

Term 1 saw many moments where students were able to put their faith into action. With the church-year theme of ‘Pilgrimage of Hope’, Connecting Catholic Coasties has been focused on conducting a pilgrimage each term. In Term 1, we travelled down to Our Lady of Dolours Catholic church in Chatswood for a celebration of the soon-to-be first Millennial Saint, Carlos Acutis. Carlos, living only to the age of 15, was able to have an impact on Catholics around the world through his preaching of the Gospel via the internet.

Term 1 also saw the launch of the Ignite conference, which will take place in the July holidays, an event that allows students to explore their faith over a four-day experience. The Term came to its conclusion with the pinnacle moment of the church year, the celebration of Easter. The Youth Ministry students, along with the fantastic College musicians, put on a very emotional version of the Stations of the Cross, focusing on the suffering and sacrifice Jesus made for us and our Salvation.

As the College took its rest in the holidays, the church did not. The passing of Pope Francis on Easter Monday led to the quick conclave that elected our new pope, Pope Leo XIV. To celebrate this, on Tuesday, we held a Pope Party in the Ryan Centre, where games were played, and snacks were eaten in his honour. As Pope Leo XIV hails from the Augustinian tradition, the same tradition as our own nun-in-residence, Sr Jiji, a focus for the party was put on understanding more about this tradition. Thank you, Sr Jiji, for all of your work with the decorations, trivia and prayer that deepened our understanding of our new Pope.

Term 2 continues to offer opportunities for faith development in students. Next week students head to the Youth In Action workshops to focus on building their leadership skills; later in the Term will be the Venio retreat where students can go deeper into their faith through prayer and reflection; and there will also be another Connecting Catholic Coasties pilgrimage to St Patrick’s in East Gosford to experience Praise and Worship, and view the relics of Pope John Paul II.

Ashley Sadler | Youth Ministry

Nihon Daiichi JHS Visit Celebrating Japanese Study at MCCW

Our MacKillop Catholic College, Warnervale community is in the fortunate position of welcoming Nihon University Daiichi Junior High School from Tokyo, Japan. As part of the upcoming visit from Sunday, 27 July until Sunday, 10 August, 2025, our community is needed to help host Nihon Daiichi students for the duration of their stay. We will host 25 students in total (this year’s group consists of 17 boys and 8 girls).

Throughout the two-week visit, host families would be kindly asked to provide accommodation and meals for their Nihon Daiichi students. In addition, Japanese students would travel to and from school with their host brother or sister, using an appropriate mode of transport, ie, school bus, car, etc.

The Nihon Daiichi students will attend a variety of in-school programs and participate in excursions outside of the school. On weekends, students can accompany host families to regular weekend activities to allow them to experience the Australian way of family life, such as going to netball, watching soccer practice etc.

If you and your family are interested in this wonderful cross-cultural opportunity, please email me at

andrew.kilham@dbb.catholic.edu.au as soon as possible. Preferences will go to families who respond early.

Yours faithfully,

Andrew Kilham | Leader of Learning and Teaching Language, Japanese

First Holy Communion

With First Holy Communion just around the corner, I’d like to share Mary’s Faithful Wardrobe with the community. We offer a beautiful collection of sacramental garments that are available to borrow for your child’s special day. If you’re in need of a garment, please see the details below.

Blessings,

Lucy Marien | Parent Engagement Coordinator

This Friday, 9th May, our school will be recognising Do It For Dolly Day, a national day of awareness aimed at preventing bullying and supporting the mental health and wellbeing of young people.

To show our support, students are encouraged to wear a blue accessory on Friday—such as a ribbon, scrunchie, wristband, or socks. Blue was Dolly’s favourite colour and has become a symbol of the movement for change.

Please note: No donations are required—this is a day for reflection, awareness, and unity.

Thank you for your support, MCC Student Parliament 

CSBB are coordinating a series of Family Journey consultation sessions with parents and carers across our system. These sessions will support the ongoing development of our shared vision for the future of Catholic Schools Broken Bay. 
 
The parent/carer consultations will take place over the next three weeks. Hearing from you, the parent community, is essential as we seek to deepen our understanding of the family experience across our schools from Baptism through to Post-School, and co-create a journey that is welcoming, connected, and responsive to the needs of our communities. 
 
To support meaningful dialogue, sessions have been organised by geographic precinct.
 
Session Details: 
 
Precinct: Northern Central Coast Catholic Schools Precinct
Date: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Time:  6.00 pm – 7.00 pm
Location: St Brigid's Catholic College, 48 Carters Road, Lake Munmorah
Coordinator: Adam Murdoch    
  
Action Required: 

We encourage all families to take part and share your voices; please RSVP to this event using the link below.
 
Together, Let’s Shape the Future of the Family Journey Experience

The fabulous new MCC backpacks have arrived. Preordered backpacks should have been received now but there are a large number ready and waiting to be purchased from the Uniform Shop for $100. They are ergonomically designed to distribute the weight of books and laptops as well as last for the years of schooling ahead.

Following is information and a link to register for a webinar targeted to students with ADHD in Year 12. This may be beneficial to students at your schools.

Monday 21 or Tuesday 29 May 7:00-8:30 pm AEST

This webinar will share insights and practical solutions for managing this critical year and beyond and making meaningful career decisions. If students cannot make it a recording will be sent to all ticket holders. Although it is interactive, students will remain anonymous on the webinar.

TOPICS COVERED

1. Redefining success- What is it to YOU?
2. Finding and owning your ADHD strengths
3. Discovering what careers are aligned to your strengths
4. Understanding the options for tertiary studies based on your interests and strengths
5. Exploring the pathway options available and ways to get there using Action Plans
6. Early Entry Considerations
7. Quick guide to Educational Access Schemes (EAS) and adjustment points
8. What is Procrastination- and how to tackle it?
9. How to deal with stress and staying calm
10. How to use technology to your advantage with ADHD
11. Q&A

There is a cost of $42.

https://events.humanitix.com/year-12-and-beyond-with-adhd-student-webinar

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

Mon 28 Apr - K-12 Pupil Free Day
Tue 29 Apr - K-12 Pupil Free Day
Fri 02 May – Interim Reports Year 7-11 and Yr 12 Reports Released
Sun 04 May – Pri Year 4 Holy Communion
Mon 12 May - K – 12 all students to wear full winter uniform from today
Wed 14 May – Fri 16 May - Sec - Year 7 Camp
Sun 25 May - Parish Youth Mass
Tue 27 May - K-12 Family Reading and Pizza night
Fri 30 May – Year 11 Reports Released
Mon 09 Jun - King's Birthday Public Holiday
Thu 12 Jun - Year 3 Confirmation Parent Information & Enrolment meeting
Sun 22 Jun - Year 3 Confirmation Session 1
Thu 26 Jun - 2:00PM - 8:00PM Sec Parent Teacher Interview Evening
Thu 26 Jun - 3:30PM - 6:30PM Pri Parent Teacher Interviews Evening
Fri 27 Jun - 8:45AM - 3:00PM K-12 Parent Teacher Day
Sun 29 Jun - 10:00AM - 11:00AM Pri Yr 3 Confirmation Session 2
Fri 4 July - K-12 Pupil Free Day and Year 7-11 Report Released

For the most up to date information please refer to Compass