MacKillop Bulletin - Term 4, Week 4, 2022

From the Principal

Catholic Education Tasmania (CET) recently launched its standardised approach for the presentation and use of Acknowledgements of Country on CET and school websites. An Acknowledgement of Country is a way of respecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and acknowledging their ongoing connection to culture and custodianship of the lands and waters of places we share.

Supporting the standardisation of Acknowledgements of Country for CET schools demonstrates a mutual commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and cultural protocols.

Acknowledgments of Country are specific to the place and people where it is spoken or used. As such, CET supports acknowledgments that reference the story and occupation of the traditional people who lived on the lands for many thousands of generations, and their deep connection to Culture and place, while acknowledging the Tasmanian Aboriginal community as the ongoing custodians.

Accordingly, the following Acknowledgment of Country has been developed for MacKillop Catholic College.

MacKillop Catholic College is located on the traditional lands of the Mumirimina people of the Oyster Bay Nation, the old people who lived with and cared for this land for many generations.

We acknowledge and respect the Palawa people and the deep connection that Tasmanian Aboriginal people have to Country and Culture. We acknowledge and respect the Tasmanian Aboriginal Community and pay our respect to Elders past and present. We are committed to learning as part of this community that we form a part of, and to supporting the continued sharing of knowledge and Culture.

This statement acknowledges the Palawa / Pakana of lutruwita / Tasmania. lutruwita (pronounced: lu tru wee tah) is the palawa kani name for Tasmania. Palawa kani (which means “Tasmanian Aboriginal people speak”) is a reconstructed language that is based on surviving spoken and written remnants of the original languages of lutruwita.

Culture and Country are capitalised because in this context these words represent a complicated and interconnected history of stories, people and place. This knowledge connects people to the land and to each other and has been passed down through thousands of generations. ​We are acknowledging this custodianship through these words.

Mumirimina (mu.mee.ree.mee.nah) was an Aboriginal language group of South Eastern Tasmania. The Mumirimina language group were people of the Oyster Bay Nation which covers the east coast of Tasmania and the Tasman Peninsula. Mumirimina is capitalised consistent with palawa kani and we specifically mention the traditional people of this place to acknowledge the languages spoken, the connection to deep time, and to encourage learning about the histories of place and Country.

The intention of this initiative is to create Acknowledgement of Country specific to the place and people of each school for use on school websites and, where needed, help provide guidance for schools delivering other written and spoken Acknowledgments.

CET also revealed the artwork commissioned by Tasmanian Aboriginal artist, Luana Towney, to feature alongside Acknowledgement of Country. Based on truwuna / Cape Barren Island, Luana Towney is a proud Palawa / Wiradjuri woman, a muka nawnta – saltwater sister. Her cultural connections run deep and strong. Her artwork, as shown below, includes representation of the 38 Tasmanian Catholic Schools, the nine Tasmanian Aboriginal nations of long ago, and the sharing of knowledge and culture that Aboriginal people in lutruwita / Tasmania continue to nurture.

Statement from the artist:

In this artwork, the nine Tasmanian Aboriginal nations of long ago are represented as gumnuts. Gumnuts are the seed of eucalypts, which can grow into some of the largest and oldest trees in the world. They represent life, standing for the beginning of a journey; of growth.

Gumnuts can lie dormant, existing as part of the landscape until they can emerge when conditions are welcoming. Gumnuts grow from the blossoms of eucalypts. Our children bloom in a supportive environment.

Water flows in the background representing a journey of learning, the way knowledge flows and accumulates - forever one part of a whole interconnected system. Nourishing life. Each line of water represents the 38 Catholic Schools in lutruwita / Tasmania.

The traditional huts in the foreground represent the comfort that comes with security and safety. Three of the huts stand for the Tasmanian Aboriginal families from which all Palawa people are descended. A fourth hut represents the home lutruwita has become for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from elsewhere. The huts are symbolic of the sharing of knowledge and culture that Aboriginal people in lutruwita / Tasmania continue to nurture.

The students, staff, and community of MacKillop Catholic College join with Catholic Education Tasmania in an ongoing commitment to growing and furthering our connections and relationships with the Aboriginal peoples of Tasmania.

Stephen Hill

Principal

From the Deputy Principal

Assessment in Term 4

Students are working towards an intense period of assessment at all year levels.  Students have been provided with assessment calendars available via SEQTA.  Students are encouraged to plan early and ensure that they have allocated enough time to ensure they have adequate time to meet all of their assessment due dates.  Students are encouraged to develop the skills that will enable them to produce a study plan that prepares for multiple assessments in the weeks prior to achieving their best across all their subjects.

All assessment at the College is guided by the MacKillop Catholic College Academic Integrity Protocol.  Students are expected to follow the guidelines provided in the protocol if they are unwell and therefore unable to meet their assessment commitments.

10 Block Exams

Year 10 students have block exams from Tuesday, Week 7.  Students attend Flexi-mode to ensure they have time to focus on studying for their exams.   Students are reminded that they need to ensure they arrive on time for exams and manage any part-time work commitments so they have time to attend fully to their studies.  Attendance at all exams is compulsory and will only be rescheduled due to illness or compassionate reasons.

Celebration of Excellence

Our Celebration of Excellence Awards will be held on Tuesday 22 November (Years 7 and 8) and Wednesday 23 November (Years 9 and 10).  Both events will commence at 9am.  Parents are most welcome to attend these events.

Throughout the year, results are collected to provide information to determine student awards. Semester 1 results are considered in conjunction with an indication of progress in Term 3 and part of Term 4, in each subject, for each student to determine Academic Awards. Once the results are collected from teachers, our Directors of Junior and Senior Schools engage in extensive checking, in order to determine awards across every subject and year level for every student. 

Our Celebration of Excellence will provide an opportunity to celebrate students who have excelled in the fields of academics, spiritual, sporting, pastoral and co-curricular.

All students can achieve one or more academic awards if they meet the criteria. Academic Awards are divided into two categories, Excellence Awards for excellent results and Endeavour Awards for students who apply themselves diligently to all of their subjects. 

A number of Special Awards are also presented during the ceremony. 

While students are always encouraged to achieve their best, some students find striving for awards at the Celebration of Excellence an extra motivation to help them be aware of their progress and commitment at MacKillop Catholic College. 

Again, parents are most welcome to attend our Celebration of Excellence Mornings.

Yours in Christ

Lorraine Wolffe
Deputy Principal - Learning and Teaching; Staff Development

From the Director of Junior School

The Junior school has been a vibrant and busy place of learning in the past couple of weeks.  It is so heartening to see students engaged and motivated as this short term continues to challenge them and extend them to grow.  The assessment Calendars for the term have been published and I encouraged the students at our last assembly together, to share these with parents/carers.  It is always a family commitment to learning that helps students flourish and this includes a shared understanding of what is due when, and how family life can work around and accommodate this.  I encourage you too, to discuss this calendar with your children and talk about ways they can prepare in advance and sprinkle their school workload in and around family time and family events.  Where you are finding it difficult to work with your child to have them meet their deadlines, please refer back to the application for an extension process and get in touch with the key staff supporting your student.  This includes their Pastoral Care Group Teacher, House Leaders as well as myself. We are currently preparing for a celebration of Excellence in our subjects on November 22nd.  This is a great opportunity to recognise the students that have made outstanding contributions and achievements in their subject areas and to the greater school community.  It is also another opportunity for everyone to experience a formal occasion with staff in Academic gowns.  Parents and carers are welcome to attend. While we continue to concentrate on finishing this year as well as we can, we are all beginning to look forward to 2023 too.  For Year 8s, they are increasing their future focus and their elective subject formation is in the final stages of formation.  Year 7s are looking to graduate from their role as the youngest in the school.  It has been exciting to welcome some of the 2023 year 7s onto campus for tours and transition meetings and to see our current students extending such warm welcomes to them. The parent information evening for the parents of our students is this week and is another moment in our calendar to show off all that is great in our community.  The palpable warm welcome is just the beginning.

Alison Stevens
Director of Junior School

From the Director of Pastoral Care

As we approach the end of the year there are lots of exciting opportunities ahead. Students may also be starting to think about next year and possible changes. One of the many benefits of the Vertical Pastoral Care structure is that students will know their Pastoral Care as they transition into their next year of schooling. However, there are still many new experiences and challenges students can become concerned about as they approach the end of the year. It might help to start to ask your child how they are feeling about the coming year. Are they confident about their subject choices? Do they have questions about next year? One option might be to write an email to their Pastoral Care Teacher asking any questions they might have about next year. Alternatively, you could ask them if there is an older student they might feel comfortable asking. Having these conversations now can help to provide some of the answers and allow students to work through some of their uncertainties so they can focus on the rest of the term and enjoy their holidays. 

Anxiety Workshop for Parents 

Please see attached a flyer for an upcoming Anxiety Workshop for parents of children of all ages at Cassie’s Place – Child and Adolescent Psychology.

Saturday 19^th November 2022 – 9:00 am – 2:30 pm

This workshop is comprised of psychoeducation about well-being, emotion regulation, and anxiety more specifically, as well as hands-on practice of a wide range of strategies for parents to support their children and teens navigate their difficulties with anxiety. Families are also provided with a resource pack to extend the learning at home.

Year 9 Abyss 
Apologies as the date in the previous bulletin for the Abyss was incorrect. The Abyss solo camp for Year 9 students will be held on 6th - 7th December for all students. Further information will be provided to Year 9 parents and students this week. We are excited to be able to offer this challenge to our students again in 2022. 
We are currently looking for any one or two-man tents that people would be willing to donate to help us build up our resources to support all students to participate in this fantastic event. If you have a tent that is no longer being used but still in a reasonable condition please drop it off to the administration. 

Phillipa Coward 
Director of Pastoral Care  

Director of Catholic Identity and Ministry

Theology and Spirituality Classes

This term, students in Years 8 and 10 have been participating in prayerful experiences in our St Joseph’s Chapel as a part of their Theology and Spirituality classes. 

Year 8 has had the opportunity to engage with different prayer spaces, each with a different theme and physical resources.

Year 10 students have been investigating different ways that people can access their spirituality. This has included Christian Meditation, creating Mandalas, and participating in a labyrinth walk.

Just Leadership Day

On Monday 31 October, several Year 9 students were selected by their Theology and Spirituality Teachers to attend the Caritas Just Leadership Day at St Mary’s College. Students participated in several workshops that will help them to lead our awareness-raising and fundraising efforts for various Catholic charities in 2023.

Thank you to Patrick Bealey, Charlotte Cook, Bella Fazackerley, William Green, Ava Mackey, and Eleanor White for participating and being wonderful leaders. 

Timor Leste Immersion

On Wednesday 26 October, about 30 families gathered to listen to a presentation from Catholic Mission regarding the 2023 Timor Immersion. The College received 24 applications for the 15 places available on the Immersion in 2023. Those families will be informed of the outcome of their application on Tuesday 8 November. Any inquiries about the Timor Immersion should be directed to Mr. Marsh.

Remembrance Day Liturgy

The College will commemorate Remembrance Day on Friday 11 November. A link will be available on our Facebook page so families can watch our liturgy commencing just before 11 am.

Lachlan Marsh
Director of Catholic Identity and Ministry

Miss Charlotte Davies
Youth Minister

From the Director of Learning Enhancement

LEARNING ENHANCEMENT

Late last term saw assessment week roll out across the school. Students engaged with grit and determination across many subject areas in relation to assessment week.  The use of assistive technology and targeted support has been engaged widely across the school around maximising student success with various skill sets and knowledge.

Life Skills Classes

Creativity abounds with wet weather co-ordinated “street art” from the Life Skills class.  Students were required to consider colour choices, share resources, and engage in motor skill development with the creation of shapes on the concrete last week.

Cooking and healthy filling snacks have been a theme this past term in the life skills classes.  Below are the pictures of students who have engaged in simple breakfast muffins and jacket potato recipes for a hot food snack to develop motor skills, recognition of portion size, and use of colours on the plate.

Other lessons have had a focus on literacy and numeracy skills including sound recognition and speech elements developing from this.  Below is Tom engaging in rhyming “dominoes” of multi-syllabic words.

Literacy and Numeracy Interventions

Interventions such as MacqLit and MulitLit have been rolled out this term.

Jessica Agius
Director of Learning Enhancement 

From the Learning Extension Coordinator

Kaleidoscope 
Students participating in the Kaleidoscope Mathematics Program will attend a full-day excursion to UTAS and the Radiotelescope Facility on 10 November. Ben Mildren, a current Bachelor of Science (Honours) student in Geospatial science, will be conducting a Q & A with our students about studying mathematics at the university level. Students will then attend a lecture with Professor Barbara Holland in the Maths and Physics Building. Professor Holland was on this year’s National Science Week national science quiz panel. In the afternoon, students will see the operation of the radio telescope at Mt. Pleasant and visit the Grote Reber Museum.  The Kaleidoscope Mathematics Program culminates with a Pixar movie and Pixar Expo on 30 November. Parents and carers of participants will be able to view posters showing students' learning and attend a talk about pathways in mathematics. 

Year 7 Writing Skills Day
Identified high potential Year 7 students will be part of a writing skills day with Mt. Carmel students on 29th November. This will be a full-day incursion. Students will be inducted into the art of academic writing.

N5
The Term 4 N5 event night will be on Monday 5th December. Students will share a Japanese meal, a subtitled Japanese movie, and some language activities. 

Year 9 Debating

Last week, our Year 9 Debating team were finalists in the Interschool Debating Competition!  Elliott Stee, Ava Mackey and Charlotte Cook represented the College proudly and debated with integrity.  While they did not win the debate, there was a split decision in the adjudication.  Congratulations on a very fine effort.

Jakki Hardman
Learning Extension Co-Ordinator

Chess

The Chess Club now has an official coach. Coaching sessions occur every Thursday from the end of Period 4 to the end of lunch. The Chess Club meets every lunchtime in K Block with Mr. Herrald.

Ben Herrald 

Teacher

Career News

Study Work Grow

Several times this year, I have encouraged everyone to take advantage of the school’s subscription to StudyWorkGrow. They provide a wealth of information to students and parents to support the exploration of career pathways.

In The Career Cluster Report, note that despite there being a vast array of jobs in the world, we are aware of only a fraction of these as the majority are considered ‘invisible’, administrative, or unrelated to specific industries.

Alarmingly, they estimate that half of all teenagers only aspire to 1% of all jobs – not because they are more attractive or lucrative but rather because they are unaware of the alternatives.

To counter this, by building upon research from Foundation for Young Australians,  they have developed a new way to visualise work without being attributable to a specific industry. These ‘clusters’ encompass people with similar skills, tasks, outcomes, and ways of working, making it easier to see the variety of jobs available and how they can progress through their chosen careers.

The clusters are:

We will explore these further over the next few bulletins, however for more information, please check out StudyWorkGrow for yourselves.

Nina Dobie

Program Leader: Career Pathways

Uniform Shop

BACK TO SCHOOL 2023

Mackillop College uniform shop, Perm-a-pleat last day of trade for 2022 will be Thursday 15th December, from 12 pm to 6 pm. 

They will re-open on Monday 23rd January 2023.

Opening Hours for "Back To School 2023"

• Monday 23rd Jan 2023
  9 am to 4 pm (closed for lunch from 12:30 to 1 pm)
• Tuesday 24th Jan 2023
  9 am to 5:30 pm (closed for lunch 12:30 to 1 pm)
• Saturday 28th Jan 2023
  9 am to 12 midday
• Monday 30th Jan 2023
  9 am to 4 pm (closed for lunch 12:30 to 1 pm)
• Tuesday 31st Jan 2023
  9 am to 5:30 pm (closed for lunch 12:30 to 1 pm)
• Thursday 2nd Feb 2023
  10 am to 6 pm (closed for lunch 12:30 to 1 pm)
• Saturday 4th Feb 2023
  9 am to 12 midday

For further enquires please phone: 6240 4420

difFusion 2022 - It's Coming...

It might seem like the year is almost over and Christmas is just around the corner... but there's still time for one more festival!

MacKillop Catholic College presents "Diffusion"

• Dance Spectacular - Nov 24
• Gallery opening and Music night - Nov 23
• Drama Production "Stories in the Dark" by Deborah Oswald - Nov 25.

Save the date.

Tickets available soon. 

MacKillop Stars