MacKillop Bulletin - Term 3, Week 2, 2022
From the Principal
Classes commence in the new build Tenison rooms
The highlight of week 1 of Term 3 was undoubtedly the opportunity for students and staff to enjoy our newest teaching and learning spaces. Over the past two months our Food, Material Design and Technology (Wood), Digital Technologies and Visual Arts staff have been involved in the significant process of decanting and relocating into these new spaces. At the same time, our students responded very well to the adjustments that had to be made to our teaching learning programs in these important areas of the curriculum for this to occur.
Overcoming these challenges has been rewarded with fantastic new facilities:
Commercial Kitchen
Upper Tenison Staff Room
Senior Art Room
Junior Art Room
Materials Design and Technology (Wood)
Machine Room
Ground floor foyer
House Leaders Office
Domestic Kitchen
Digital Technologies and Media Room
Deck area between Science and Material Technology
The occupancy of the new build areas of Tenison officially marks the commencement of Phase 2 of the current building program which will include the refurbishment of the current Library, Science, Language and MDT rooms and the building of a fourth Science room, a new Science staff office, an additional Science preparation room, an update of the Barista training room, five general purpose classrooms and a new IT Office.
The current timeline will see the College taking occupancy of these spaces in the second week of December, just in time to complete our final preparations for the commencement of Year 11 classes from the beginning of 2023.
Regards, Stephen
Stephen Hill
Principal
From the Deputy Principal
Fresh starts
Semester 2 presents us with a new opportunity to revisit goals and commitment to studies. Report cards have provided an indication of where students are at and set new goals for where we would like to be by the end of the year. New electives in Year 7, 8 and 9 provide new opportunities to engage in new subjects. Being open to what a fresh start can bring is very important.
Semester 2 Assessment
All Term 3 Assessment Calendars will be issued to students and updated on SEQTA Learn and SEQTA Engage. Parents are encouraged to monitor student assessment due dates. A copy of the College Assessment Protocols can also be found in these spaces.
Cold and Flu season
The cold and flu season normally peaks in Term 3. As a result, parents need to continue to keep their student(s) away from the College, if unwell. If a student presents with any flu-like symptoms, parents will be contacted and required to collect their student. Teachers will continue to remind students about the importance of good hygiene. Hand sanitisers have been provided in each classroom to assist. As a College, we will continue with our increased daily cleaning regime.
If students do need to be at home, it is important, if well that they continue to engage with their learning via SETQA.
Yours in Christ
Lorraine Wolffe
Deputy Principal - Learning and Teaching; Staff Development
From the Deputy Principal
I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself to the broader MacKillop Catholic College community as I begin the role of Deputy Principal – Wellbeing.
My experience in education and leadership stems from 16 years employed across three different catholic colleges, St Edmund’s College Canberra, Dominic College and MacKillop Catholic College. I have held various leadership roles in schools since 2009, including Year Level Coordinator, Head of Department, Head of House (x3), Director of Pastoral Care K-10 and Director of Junior School. I am extremely passionate about education and the academic, social, spiritual, emotional, and mental development of young people. I believe it is one of the most important facets of education and it is one of the main reasons I became a teacher. Fundamental to this is the importance of relationships in a school environment. I believe this is evident in how I teach and interact with all students and staff within the college. I model with my action’s strong empathy and authentic care for every student and colleague I work with. I make a conscious effort to know every student personally while communicating clear standards of behaviour that are enforced in a firm but fair manner. I make my professional decisions through the lens of compassion, love and inclusion while actively working with those at the margins and of greatest need.
A constant in my various roles over the past 13 years has been leadership; a quality I believe was developed and enhanced during my officer training at Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) and Royal Military College-Duntroon (RMC). ADFA and RMC provided me with exceptional training and experience – indeed the very best opportunity to develop my professionalism, leadership, and management skills.
Personally, I am married with four children. I am actively and extensively involved in coaching junior sport, especially field hockey, and I am a proud member of the Essendon Football Club.
I look forward to working with all members of our community as we continue to develop and shape our College as we transition towards Year 11 & Year 12 in the coming years.
Andrew Pritchard
Deputy Principal - Wellbeing
From the Director of Catholic Identity and Ministry
John Paul ll Buddy Program
On July 1st MacKillop Catholic College ran a program with John Paul ll Catholic Primary school to grow connections and give the young students a fun-filled afternoon and evening. The students ran the program at the JPll campus in Rokeby and played games, ran activities and watched movies. Both our students and 3 / 4’s from JPll had an enjoyable evening bonding together. We’d like to thank Brendan Gill, Jane Davies and Olivia Auksorious for helping us organise and manage the JPll students. Thank you also to Mr Marsh and Mr de la Motte for transport and organisation on the MacKillop side of the event. Lastly, we’d like to thank the four year 10 students that gave up their free time to commit to the afternoon and evening, Darcy Andrikonis, Sophie Bonnitcha, Layla Jones and Evelyn Hicks. Thank you for being lively and representing our school with passion and determination.
Vinnies Winter Woollies Collection
Last term on Tuesday the 5th, we had Louis Van from the St Vincent de Paul Foundation visit for our last Vinnies Breakfast of the term. They helped us celebrate the end of term and bring awareness to those who are struggling during winter. Students enjoyed hot chocolate served from the Louis Van and the regular toast breakfast from our Vinnies Group. We were collecting winter woollies items as a part of the winter appeal. We still have a couple of baskets to fill! If your wardrobe is in need of a clear out we are still taking donations of warm accessories (beanies, scarves, gloves, etc), jumpers and jackets, blankets and so on. Please consider donating. Thank you!
Important Upcoming Dates
JJAMM Week - 8th - 12th August
JJAMM stands for St Joseph, Julian (Tenison-Woods) and Mary MacKillop. There will be many events celebrating our charism during that week. On Wednesday 10 August will celebrate Mass in the morning and MKC’s Got Talent in the afternoon. More details to follow.
Catholic Education Week 15th - 19th August
Catholic Education Week Mass celebrated by Archbishop Julian Porteous on Thursday 18th August at Corpus Christi Church. The MacKillop College Choir is leading the singing.
AJASS Tasmania Immersion 11th - 14th September
Students from AJASS (Association of Josephite Affiliated Secondary Schools) South-East Cluster schools will be touring Tasmania with students from MacKillop College.
Year 8 Spirituality Retreats 12th - 14th September
Facilitated by the College Ministry Team at Blundstone Arena
Lachlan Marsh Charlotte Davies
Director of Catholic Identity and Ministry Trainee Youth Minister
From the Acting Director of Pastoral Care
Sometimes it can be hard to know where to get good relevant information to help guide young people to make good decisions. Recently, I was informed of the Guys Gotta Know and Girls Gotta Know websites which are a legal information initiatives for young men and women by the Women's Legal Service Tasmania. In setting up these websites the Women's Legal Service's aim is to provide up-to-date, easy-to-read, relevant information to young men and women in Tasmania.
Looking through the information on the websites there is a wealth of knowledge and really good advice about relationships, partying and trouble, housing and renting, employment, and money. Although not all these categories may be relevant to students currently, it might be a good way to start a conversation with your child about where you can find reliable information and save the relevant website for them so they can come back to it later.
Another great website I often refer to support young people is ReachOut.
Regards
Phillipa Coward
Acting Director of Pastoral Care
From the Director of Senior School
I hope all the students and their families had a restful and enjoyable Term 2 break. It is great to see all the students back and ready to embrace the MacKillop Catholic Colleges extra curricula opportunities and in class learning.
NAVY Experience
Over the break, Mr Cooke and I accompanied Reuben Lang, Alycia Skinner and Claudia Struthers to the Mornington Peninsula to the HMAS Cerberus. The two-day event involved the students undertaking practical tasks that the Navy require, learning about different pathways and most importantly discovering what their passions are.
As a team, we participated in submarine leak scenarios where we had to work together to use sound techniques to stop these leaks from pipes and submarine doors. We learnt the different fires and the best way to distinguish them, how and why
As a college, we are immensely proud of the three students who involved themselves in both the challenging practical tasks and the social tasks. They demonstrated Excellence and Service clearly in all their endeavors.
Reuben has discussed the prospect of becoming a Wartime Maritime Officer, Alycia is interested in becoming an air traffic controller and Claudia is still looking into her options.
Thank you to Nina Dobie for gaining the grant to participate in this valuable trip.
Turnitin
Turnitin is an internet-based plagiarism detection service. It is widely used in schools and Universities to check students' work to determine if plagiarism has taken place. It also is a great guide for students to check their own referencing and work before submitting their final copy.
As a school, some staff already use Turnitin for their student's work. However, this semester we are aiming to make all Year 10 students and staff use the program to best prepare them for Years 11 and 12 and further tertiary studies.
It will be connected to our SEQTA submission page, therefore, when students submit their written assessment, it will go through Turnitin simultaneously.
We will brief the Year 10 students on the program at the next Year assembly and talk about its purpose. We want our Senior MacKillop Catholic College students to produce their best original work, upholding academic integrity and creating our students to become independent and creative thinkers.
Important dates:
JAMM week is coming up in week, see schedule for specific events
August 3rd Year 10 Visual Art class is doing a printmaking session
August 3rd,4th and 5th Australian Mathematics Competition Years 7-10
August 3rdKaleidoscope Fair after school
August 5th Year 9s will be watching the Bell Shakespeare performance at 9am and the Years 10s will be watching it at 11am
August 12th Year 10 students will have the RYDA (Rotary Youth Driver Awareness Program) Day which is about road safety and directed towards young people as they approach the period in life when they start driving a car.
Regards
Jennifer Crowden
Director of Senior School
Navy Experience
Career News
According to McCrindle’s Education Future Report, students in 2022 are ‘embracing the challenge of
entering the new world of work’. Rather than feeling apathetic they are excited and approach their future with confidence. 84% of students surveyed felt their education is equipping them to thrive in life. Whilst this is encouraging, we must remember that some students remain uncertain about the future and their post-education working life. This may be linked with their clarity about what career they wish to pursue after school.
To help students explore their options and the range of opportunities available to them, I encourage them to take advantage of the school’s subscription to Study Work Grow. Parents and students will be invited to create membership profiles allowing families to explore together and engage in important conversations about the future. It is never too early to begin.
Nina Dobie
Program Leader: Career Pathways