MacKillop Bulletin - Term 1, Week 4, 2022

Welcome to the MacKillop Bulletin

Welcome to our first edition of 2022 MacKillop Bulletin, our new look communication tool being launched today.

The MacKillop Bulletin will be published fortnightly on a Monday afternoon, and will include information from members of the school leadership team and other regular sections. In this new publication we will share news articles of school events and relevant information from various departments throughout the College.

In communicating to you in this way we hope to bring you current school news and information in a format that is readable on either a smartphone or a larger device. 

We are excited to share this first edition of the MacKillop Bulletin with you today and feel confident you will enjoy reading future editions.

From the Principal

Welcome

To all in our community, a very special and warm welcome to MacKillop Catholic College as we commence the 2022 school year. To all the students and families returning to us and to those who are joining us as the newest members of the College, you are all very welcome.

MacKillop continues to grow

2022 presents itself as an exciting time in the school’s history. Significant progress continues to be made as part of the Phase 1 building program. The extension of the Tenison wing to include new and upgraded facilities for Food, Technology, Art and Digital Media are scheduled for completion and occupancy early Term Two. Immediately following this, VOS Construction will commence work on the refurbishment of existing teaching spaces in the Tenison wing including a redesign and upgrade of the Science rooms, Language, existing Technology, the Rice Resource Centre and seven additional general purpose classrooms in preparation for the introduction of Years 11 and 12 from the beginning of 2023 and to meet the school’s growing enrolment demand.

Ground and first floor steel work of the Tenison Wing extension.

This edition of the Bulletin includes further details regarding other changes that have been made to our learning and teaching and wellbeing programs to ensure that MacKillop College continues to respond to the diverse learning needs of our students, and I encourage you to take a little extra time to read about these.

As always, it was great to see all the students back on February 3. Their youthful exuberance and genuine want to be back at school was welcomed by all. We start 2022 with 641 students (an increase of 33 students from this same time in 2021) made up of the following:
 Year 7 – 172 students
 Year 8 – 167 students
 Year 9 – 167 students
 Year 10 – 135 students.

We currently have 199 confirmed enrolments for Year 7 2023 with a significant number of students on a waitlist. Families on the waitlist will be contacted in the coming weeks to confirm their interest in enrolling their child at MacKillop Catholic College for Year 7 in 2023 and additional offers made.

Ongoing enrolment growth could be seen as the greatest form of feedback from the community and a strong vote of confidence in what the College is currently doing to further and grow the learning outcomes of students and what we have planned for the future. Thank you for the trust you have in us to meet the learning, wellbeing and spiritual needs of your child.

Being Covid safe

While the 2022 school year started with the appropriate level of concern as to the potential impact of COVID‐19 on the health and wellbeing of all our students and staff, the commitment of all in our community ‐ students, staff and parents and caregivers alike, to support the College's health and hygiene protocols has contributed significantly to the relatively few COVID‐19 related absences being reported to‐date.

I would like to acknowledge and thank all students, staff and parents and caregivers for the care and consideration that has been given to each and every member of our community by adopting and following our health and hygiene protocols and procedures. Your support has made a significant difference!

Looking forward to a year of growth

With our new Positions of Leadership structure and staffing now in place; the commencement of the Vertical Pastoral Care; the ongoing work associated with Project 23 in preparation for the introduction of Year 11 in 2023; a planned update of the College’s Building Master Plan and the launch of the 2022-2024 Strategic Directions in alignment with these and other important strategic priorities scheduled for this year, 2022 is shaping as a very important year in the College’s ongoing growth and development.

This is a special learning community, and we are blessed to be a part of it.

Stephen Hill
Principal

From the Deputy Principal

Welcome back everyone!

Bus Issues - Thank you to those families who have been in contact with me in relation to bus transportation concerns as well as other issues that have cropped up in relation to our students travelling to and from the College.   Please be assured that the College is working proactively with Catholic Education Tasmania, State Growth, Metro Tasmania,  Redline Coaches and Coal River Coaches to ensure that urgent issues are addressed quickly and that our medium term concerns in relation to traffic, infrastructure and improved services are being worked through.

New Passenger Conduct Code for School Bus Services - The Department of State Growth recently released their Passenger Conduct Code for School Bus Services following ongoing consultation with a range of stakeholders including schools.  

We encourage all families to familiarise themselves with the Code.  Whilst we know that the vast majority of our students behave in an exemplary manner whilst on buses, the Code gives us the opportunity to develop a shared understanding of the expectations for students travelling on buses, and the consequences for inappropriate behaviour.  Any questions about the Code can be directed to the Passenger Transport Branch at ptscontracts@stategrowth.tas.gov.au or 6166 3343 (9am-5pm weekdays).

The link to this Code is as follows:  

Emergency Evacuation Training Video - During Week 2 we showed our students a 2-minute training video so they are aware of what to do and where to go in the event of an emergency evacuation.    Please feel free to view this video below.

Student Code of Personal Appearance - A very big thank you to families and students for your support in relation to College personal appearance expectations as we began the school year.  Wearing the College uniform proudly and presenting as per the Student COPA is ultimately a reflection of each student’s attitude toward their school.  It is pleasing to see so many students presenting themselves to the community and within the school grounds as proud MacKillop students.

There are unfortunately some students who are not yet meeting our expectations in relation to key areas such as formal uniform, hair and jewellery (particularly extra piercings, nose piercings and necklaces).  Our Pastoral Care Teachers have proactively contacted families via SEQTA logs to seek support for those issues since Week 1.  Last week, I began having direct conversations with families.    

A reminder about Jewellery as per the Student COPA:

• Students may wear one pair of simple earrings (gold or silver studs or sleepers) in the lobe of each ear (therefore helix piercings or tragus piercings are not permitted). Spacers are not permitted. Drop (dangly or hoops) earrings are not permitted. Clear stud earrings are required for excess piercings.
• Facial piercings of any type (including tongue piercings and use of clear studs and/or other attempts to disguise) are not permitted.
• Jewellery**, other than earrings and watches, is not permitted. This includes bracelets and anklets.  
• Smartwatches must be on aeroplane mode during class times in accordance with the College Mobile Phone Protocol.
• Visible Tattoos are not permitted

     ** Medical ID bracelets and crucifix necklaces are permitted

A reminder also that students are expected to wear blazers to and from school and present themselves in the same standard away from the College as they present whilst they are at the College.  Our students are representatives of their parents/caregivers and the College as they move about the community.  We continue to ask our families to support us with this every day. 

Student Locks - ALL STUDENTS must have their own locks given that their laptops, personal technology (i.e. mobile phones) and other personal items are stored in their lockers during the school day.

Locks were supplied to all Year 7’s and all new students who joined us in Years 8, 9 and 10 during Week 1.  All returning students should have brought their locks from last year back with them for use this year.  Unfortunately, many students did not take their locks on the last day of 2021.

If your child/children came to school this year without a lock or perhaps left it on their locker last year,  they may be able to source one of the limited supplies of locks that we collected last year.  Most of these have been snapped up in the last couple of weeks.  Once those leftover supplies are exhausted we will require affected families to buy a NEW lock.  Those locks are available here at school at the cost of $31.  These locks, whilst expensive, are sturdy and strong.  We encourage families to buy these locks as opposed to a cheaper alternative which is likely to be not fit for purpose.

Donna Brown
Deputy Principal, Organisation, Student Development & Pastoral Care

From the Deputy Principal

I would like to echo the sentiments of Mr Hill in welcoming all our families back for 2022.  A very special welcome to our new Year 7s and the new students and families to our College.

Our College has quickly settled into learning routines, with students developing excellent learning habits.  Our learning and teaching environments have commenced with the support of a Student Planner.  This is an organisation tool for students to assist with time management.  All students should have the Student Planner with them in every lesson and being taking it home every day.  I would ask you to set 2022 goals with your son or daughter.

• Make them challenging. 
• Make them attainable.
• Check-in with them and their progress regularly. 
• Celebrate when progress is made.

Graduate Teachers - We have welcomed many new staff to the College and particularly we have welcomed several new Graduate Teachers.  As a College we are very excited to be working with graduates who are commencing their teaching career.  As a College, we have launched our Graduate Teacher Mentors' Program.  Each of our graduate teachers has a Mentor teacher who is coaching and supporting them.  The Graduate and the Mentor meet once per week, sometimes through observation in the classroom and sometimes as a professional dialogue session.  Our dedicated program will provide quality induction and support that is critical to developing a teacher’s skills and practice from the start of their career in order to improve learner outcomes.

Welcome to our Graduate Teachers

From Left to Right:  Row 1: Ms Lily Jefferies - English & HASS;  Ms Zoe Quinn - Japanese & HASS;  Mr Nathan Duggan - HPE & RE;
Ms Holly van Lierop - HPE; Row 2: Mr Cameron Quinn - English & HASS; Ms Mikaela Ewington - English & Drama;  

SEQTA Engage - The parent portal at MacKillop Catholic College is called SEQTA Engage.  SEQTA Engage is a powerful tool for parents, providing an overview of their child’s learning and assessments. It also provides a communication channel for parents and teachers, enabling greater collaboration and hopefully enhanced learning outcomes for the student.

Parents and caregivers will be issued accounts at the start of a school year. Accounts are issued via email to any listed caregivers who have a valid email address registered with the school. Accounts need to be registered within seven days of receiving the registration email. To activate, parents and caregivers click on a link from their registration email and will be directed to a log-in page to set a username and password. If you have received a registration email but missed the activation window, or need to update your details, please contact the school by phone 6245 0099 or via direct email: rzehmeister@mackillop.tas.edu.au

There are several methods of accessing SEQTA Engage depending on your situation.  The platform can always be accessed using any browser by navigating to the following address:  engage.mackillop.tas.edu.au
iOS and Android users can also opt to download the SEQTA Engage app which makes access a little easier. Simply search for “SEQTA Engage” on your relevant app store to find it, then use the address shown above during setup.

For more information:

Yours in Christ,
Lorraine Wolffe
Deputy Principal - Learning and Teaching; Staff Development

Catholic Identity and Mission

Welcome to 2022! 

It was wonderful to welcome our College Community back.   A new school year offers a perfect opportunity for review and commit to being kind and supportive of one another.  I would like to commence by introducing you to our Trainee Youth Minister for 2022, Charlotte Davies.

Hello MacKillop College Community,

I’m Charlotte and this year I will be training as a youth minister at Mackillop. I’ve just graduated year 12 at Guilford Young College and I’m hoping one day to study paramedics. When the job for Youth Minister at MacKillop popped up I had been growing on the idea of a gap year, however something about this service role and working in a school environment took my interest. I have participated in Edmund Rice Camps which helped me develop my interest in working with youth and I’m looking forward to helping out on spirituality retreats, liturgies and camps with the students of MacKillop.

• Another part of my role is managing our students; Vinnies group that meets every Tuesday lunch times, everyone is welcome! This week we launched our Vinnies Breakfast with toast and beverages for students accompanied by buskers.
• This term, Year 7 Theology and Spirituality classes had an opportunity to visit our St Joseph’s Chapel with me as an opportunity for prayer and become more familiar within the space and with our College faith tradition.

I’m here for those who need some extra support, guidance and just a friendly face to become familiar with. Thank you, I am looking forward to a fabulous year at MacKillop.

Charlotte Davies
Trainee Youth Minister

Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) - Our Caritas Leaders will be selling pancakes at Recess this Tuesday 1st March to raise money for Project Compassion. Students should remember to bring along $2 and get in
early as stocks will be limited.

Ash Wednesday - On Wednesday 2nd March, the College will gather in House groups to commemorate the
beginning of the Lenten Season with an Ash Wednesday Liturgy. During the liturgy, ashes in
the form of a cross are placed on the forehead of each person. The ashes represent the
Catholic belief that during Lent we have the opportunity to turn back to God and seek
forgiveness for our sins.

Project Compassion (Term 1) – Raising awareness and funds to support Caritas Australia in their many projects here, and in neighbouring countries to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity of all.

World Day of Prayer - On Friday 4th March, The MacKillop Catholic College Choir will lead the singing at the World Day of Prayer ceremony at Corpus Christi Catholic Church. This is an opportunity of
Christian denominations in our local community to come together in unity and prayer.

Mr Lachlan Marsh
Director of Catholic Identity and Ministry

Pastoral Care and Student Wellbeing

New House Pastoral Care Groups / Meet and Greet

Day 1, 2022 was very exciting for all the students, as they were allocated to new House-based, vertical Pastoral Care Groups. Each House is now located in a different area of the school and each Pastoral Care Group has a mix of students from Year 7 - 10. This first day was comprised of getting to know each other activities, an overview of expectations, a House Assembly and the opportunity to prepare and get organised for the academic year. We also took time to specifically look at how students can best use their planners to support their learning.

The Houses and Pastoral Care Groups will continue to develop spirit and community in the College, through structured activities and events. We look forward to the Houses developing a strong culture and for them to become a home away from home for students.

Our virtual “Meet and Greet” was incredibly successful with many families taking the opportunity to touch base with their son/daughter’s Pastoral Care Teacher. A connection between families and this teacher is crucial in keeping the communication lines open and ensuring there are numerous key adults in their lives they can seek when they need support.

If you were unable to attend this event, you are encouraged to touch base with your son/daughter’s
Pastoral Care Teacher.

Important Upcoming Events - Year 10 Welcome to Senior School Dinner and Year 7 Camp are coming up very soon. Information will continue to come out regarding these events, if you have any questions, please contact the event organiser.

Aaron Davey
Director of Pastoral Care

From the Directors of Schools

Welcome to week 4 of the MacKillop Catholic College Academic Year. It has been a busy start to the year for the College with school photos, new vertical pastoral care systems, looking into work experience options, the swimming carnival, the VET subjects commencing, Music rehearsals, commencement of SATIS sport, excursions, the Welcome to Senior School social planning and many more exciting and rewarding events for our students to take part in. 

Our roles as Directors of Senior and Junior school are to lead and support your child from the first days of their transition into Year 7 and into their final day of Year 12 to flourish academically, socially, spiritually and physically by their commitment to the creation of a learning environment where students are known and nurtured to thrive. We will ensure the establishment of explicitly high standards of student engagement, learning and wellbeing in each year level.

In this edition of the Bulletin, we are focusing on Homework. 

First, parents have a particularly important part to play in the educating community, since it is to them that primary and natural responsibility for their children’s education belongs (Congregation for Catholic Education 1997, n. 20). As you are aware we work in partnership to create the best possible future for your child. Below we will include a few strategies for you and your child to start implementing.

An educational expert, John Hattie, summarises a couple of points from his educational research which we think are crucial to understand, before we discuss further.

• Short and frequent homework has a higher effect
• Positive homework effects are higher with older students
• Teacher involvement is key to its success

Therefore, we know that homework is key to success in the senior years of schooling. We understand that everyone’s homelife situation is different and this might mean their Homework schedule varies. Activities including debating, sport, parents work, students work etc mean that homework cannot always be completed at set times throughout the week. However, it is still vital to have a base plan that is realistic and achievable.

Below are some examples of the variety of homework that can be undertaken, along with the benefits of each:

• practising skills and revising content that they’re learning in class, this can assist with their understanding and retention
• Be prepared for the next day’s work by looking into SEQTA, this can make them feel comfortable and confident in the class
• Discuss work and progress on research, projects or novels, this can assist in their deep understanding of the topic and different perspectives

Below are some strategies to assist them to remain focused throughout Homework time:

• Create a study planner or even better get them to create it and take ownership
• Be realistic about how long they can concentrate on tasks. Start with a 15-minute timer and then allow a brain break or even better, they may be on a roll and want to keep persisting with the task. Over time the 15 minutes can increase in crements
• Make sure their study space is organised and has good air flow
• Remove items that may cause distractions during homework time, such as phones, electronics etc.

As you are aware habits take a while to become second nature and persistent is needed in the beginning.

At MacKillop Catholic College the students use planners, where they can write in their homework to organise themselves. You may want to ask your child about this and see if they have any upcoming assessments. We also have an Assessment Calendar between all departments, this enables us to spread the workload for the students. We do realise though at times it can cascade, please email us or your child’s teachers if you feel that the workload is too high, and we can discuss and investigate further.

Event Reminders:

March 8^th Welcome to Senior School Social- Year 10

This is an evening where students and staff will celebrate the Year 10 students entering their Senior Years of study. Students are to attend in smart casual attire. The night will involve a formal welcome to Senior School, a 2-course dinner, performances by the school jazz band, individual musical performances and dances.

Students are expected to attend school from periods 1 to 3 on Tuesday, March 8^th. There will be a BBQ in period 4 to celebrate the beginning of their Senior School. Please feel free to pick them up from 11:50 to 1:00. We understand that some students may need to stay until the end of the day and these students will be supervised until they are picked up. There will be further information sent to the Year 10 parents/guardians and students this week.

Rite Journey Program- Year 9

The Rite Journey camp has been postponed for now. Mr Aaron Davey is working with the COVID team and endeavouring to place it back on the schedule as soon as possible, as we know it is such a crucial and special time for our Year 9 students to work on themselves and their sense of belonging.  

Year 7 Camp

There have been several changes made to this event due to the COVID restrictions, please see email correspondence and understand we are doing our best to enable the Year 7 students to increase their sense of belonging, their confidence and to build some solid relationships for the next six years at MacKillop Catholic College.

Jennifer Crowden, Director of Senior School

Andrew Pritchard, Director of Junior School

Learning and Teaching

HASS NEWS

Geography – In the Field…

Recently, the Year 9 HaSS classes have been to Mt Wellington, to explore Hobart’s own forest biome. On their excursion they considered the many environmental factors that influence what kinds of forests exist where. With expert guidance from the Forest Education Foundation, our students used various equipment to determine, slope, wind speed, temperature, direction and canopy structure. Students will use the data they’ve gathered to complete a
field trip report and examine the major influences on forest biomes and how humans interact, impact and value the forest.  The students were clearly engaged in their learning while on the field trip. Being ‘in the field’ in this case the forest biome, was not only a chance to take off the masks for a day, but to participate in some
authentic learning. As Matthew Carter from Ms Jeffries class explained “it is much better to be in the place learning, rather than just hearing about it”.

Sarah Sturt
Learning Leader - HaSS

Career News

Welcome to the 2022 academic school year.  As Program Leader: Careers and Pathway Planning, I am excited to support students as they navigate their future pathways.

Students may feel excited, daunted, nervous, or confident about what the future holds. These feelings are totally normal – perhaps more so as we consider how the pandemic has changed our lives over the last two years. The Future of Jobs Report 2020  acknowledges that COVID-19 has accelerated the arrival of the ‘future of work’. It finds that 50% of employers will accelerate the automation of their work, while over 80% are set to expand the digitisation of their work processes. That means that some jobs that have been lost will never come back, and those that do will require new ways of working and new skills.

However, I encourage everyone to remember that change is a constant companion of education and life. In fact, the Greek philosopher Heraclitus noted that ‘The only constant in life is change.’  Rather than see change as a negative, we must embrace it and use it to our advantage to achieve our goals, hopes and dreams. Students should be encouraged to ask lots of questions and do some
research.

Nina Dobie
Program Leader - Careers and Pathway Planning

Towards 2023

2023 is going to be an historical year at the College as we welcome our first ever Year 10 students progressing through to Year 11 and then Year 12 in 2024.  In 2022, we will continue to get our College ready for this wonderful time in the College's history.  We are very excited by the significant number of Year 10 students who have committed to remaining at MacKillop Catholic College and are working with our staff to develop new rituals and traditions for the College.

There has been much happening as we move towards 2023.

• Commencing this year we have restructured the College Leadership Team to include a Director of Senior School.  We are very fortunate to have Mrs Jennifer Crowden join our team.  Mrs Crowden comes from St Mary's College and brings with her a wealth of knowledge and wisdom for being able to establish and lead Year 11 and 12.  Mrs Crowden will be working closely with our Year 10 students to support them in planning and developing their senior pathways.    She is also our TASC Liaison Officer.

• We are working closely with the Office of Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification (TASC) and the Tasmanian Schools Registration Board in meeting registration standards for Years 11 and 12.  We have already received very commendable feedback from the Office of Education Regulations on our preparation for Year 11 and 12.
• The building program is continuing to progress well.  This building work will provide the College with new and increased Arts and Design facilities of a very high standard.  The delivery of Year 11 Visual Arts, Media and Design Technology will have the latest learning environments to support their senior education.  After Phase 1, due to be completed very soon, we move towards the refurbishment of the remaining parts of Tenison Building provided new science laboratories, a new resource centre, digital technologies and seven new general learning classrooms.
• Our staff are continuing to engage with professional learning as they deepen their understanding of senior secondary TASC courses.  The College already has many experienced teachers of senior secondary and we are working closely with experienced Guilford Young College, St Mary's College and St Patrick’s College, Launceston staff to ensure that we are aware of the very latest educational understandings for senior secondary. 

Uniform News

UNIFORM UPDATE: Families awaiting new COLLEGE SCHOOL BAGS and SAFETY GOGGLES can now source them from our Uniform Shop. Uniform Shop hours are on the College website. Phone 6240 4420 or make contact via Hobart.Retail@Permaleat.com.au.